MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday said he would prefer a government-to-government agreement for the purchase of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccines, saying it would prevent the risk of corruption.
In a pre-recorded speech, Duterte asked Health Secretary Francisco Duque III to ensure that the country’s negotiating team would ensure a government-to-government transaction.
“Maganda sana (It’s good if it’s a) government-to-government ang transaction. Walang corruption, wala lahat kasi (there’s no corruption because it’s) government-to-government. I’m offering it to China kasi mayroon na sila (because they already have it),” he said.
“To the Chinese government and to the people who are really parlaying the vaccine, we — you need not look for partners. We can make it government-to-government and I will pay you,” he added.
He said he was against purchasing vaccines from private pharmaceutical companies.
“I hate ‘yang ano — ayaw ko ‘yung (I don’t like) private persons, magbili tayo sa (if we buy from) private Chinese businessmen,” he said.
He did not specify which Chinese firm he was referring to, but Sinopharm, a Chinese state-owned company, recently canceled plans to hold clinical trials in the country.
Last week, China’s Sinovac Biotech has submitted to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Philippines its application to conduct Phase 3 of clinical trials of its vaccine in the country.
Sinovac may start late-stage trials of its vaccine in the country as early as next month.
Aside from China, the government is also evaluating vaccines of Russia’s Gamaleya Research Institute, and other pharmaceutical companies.
Earlier, Duterte said he would ask for a discount from China and Russia on the vaccines that each of the two countries have developed, hopeful that their leaders would understand his plight amid the global recession.
“I will ask the — my friend (Russian) President (Vladimir) Putin and (Chinese) President Xi Jinping to give us a credit, parang utang (like a loan), a credit line but we will pay not in one payment but by installments. Basta ang sinasabi ko magbayad tayo. Hindi ito libre (I’m just saying that we’ll pay for it. It’s not free),” Duterte said.
Malacañang earlier assured of the vaccine’s affordability.
Duterte said that vaccination fees of the poor, police, military, and front-liners would be shouldered by the government.
The government initially allotted PHP20 billion to buy 40 million doses for 20 million Filipinos.
As of Oct. 26, there are 371,630 confirmed Covid-19 cases in the country, including 7,039 deaths and 328,258 recoveries.