Duterte prefers government-to-government transaction for China COVID-19 vaccine

President Rodrigo Duterte has expressed his preference for government-to-government transaction for the procurement of vaccine against COVID-19 from China, saying dealing with private entities is open to corruption.

“Ayaw ko 'yung bibili tayo sa private Chinese businessmen. Diyan magkakalokohan,” Duterte said from Davao City in a taped address aired Tuesday morning.

“Hindi kami manghihingi, we will pay. Sana government-to-government ang transaction, walang corruption,” he added.

The Duterte administration initially earmarked P2.5 billion for the procurement of vaccines against COVID-19, but the Department of Health said this amount is short of at least P10.5 billion.

The President, however, said he has full confidence that the Chinese government will come to the aid of the Philippines when it comes to vaccines against COVID-19.

“I believe in Chinese expertise and knowledge. Hindi ako nagkamali, meron na sila,” Duterte said.

“I had a meeting with the [Chinese] ambassador [to the Philippines], he said the vaccine is there. It is a matter of kung paano i-distribute, and what kind of transaction it would be for them and for us,” he added.

So far, only China's Sinovac vaccine has cleared the scrutiny of the Philippines’ Vaccine Experts Panel (VEP).

Sinovac would still have to get approval from the Ethics Board before it gets to apply for Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance for a clinical trial in the Philippines.

The VEP reviews Phases 1 and 2 of clinical trials of the candidate vaccine, while the Ethics Board evaluates the selection for participants for clinical trials, among other safeguards that the vaccine manufacturer provided for the participants.

The Philippines has 371,630 COVID-19 cases so far. Of this number, 328,258 recovered while 7,059 died.

The number of active COVID-19 cases is 36,333. —KBK, GMA News