By Alec Go
President Rodrigo Duterte said in his late Monday night (Aug. 16) public address that China has yet to ask for anything in return from the Philippines for its donated COVID-19 vaccines.
Duterte said in his nearly three-hour pre-recorded report with other officials that he had sought China’s help when he realized that the Philippines “would be a tail-ender” in terms of supply.
“Sabi niya (Chinese Pres. Xi Jinping), ‘Do not worry. We will help you.’ Kaya dumating ang mga bakuna,” Duterte said.
“Ang nagbigay ng [vaccines na] no strings attached, ang China. Until now, walang hiningi ang China sa akin maski ballpen. Walang ipinakiusap, wala lahat. Except that their boats are there,” Duterte added, while maintaining that Philippine vessels are also positioned in the disputed West Philippine Sea.
He recalled saying that he will not order Philippine vessels to leave the area while trying to avoid “war with anybody,” especially the United States whose forces are also in the country.
China has already donated millions of Sinovac Biotech’s CoronaVac to the Philippines since February, and around 10,000 Sinopharm doses for the Presidential Security Group (PSG) and the Chief Executive.
The country is expecting one million doses of donated Sinopharm vaccines from China this month, as part of the 22.8 million expected deliveries consisting of donated and procured shots from various brands.
Duterte said he also asked the US for excess vaccines, noting that he also understands America’s decision to prioritize its people.
“I am just asking America to give us more kung mayroon lang sila,” he said.
“If there is an excess of supply sa inyo, pakitulong naman dito sa bayan ko. We have the money. We buy, we do not ask. We have saved money for this event,” he added.
As of Aug. 16, the Philippines has received 42,575,350 COVID-19 vaccine doses, with 27,806,881 that have been administered. Vaccine czar Sec. Carlito Galvez Jr. said 7.3 million doses were administered in the first 15 days of August.
“We are very confident na ‘yung 15 million na ito [vaccine target] ay makakaya natin kasi darating ang malaki-laking volume this week,” Galvez said. – bny
