Duterte wants to confront critics of COVID-19 vaccine procurement

President Rodrigo Duterte wants to talk to critics who have alleged that the attention given the country's procurement of COVID-19 vaccines might have prevented billions of pesos getting lost to corruption.

In his address to the nation on Monday night, Duterte reiterated his claim that the government's transactions with vaccine manufacturers didn't involve graft.

“Mag-usap nga tayo. ‘Yong tayo lang. Kung sino nagsabi niyan, please rise and be brave enough that you’re the one. I’d like to talk to you," Duterte said.

"Tayo lang dalawa. Miski saan mo gusto, sa bahay mo para medyo maganda ang usapan o hindi sa labas kasi bawal. You can do it there in the house,” he added.

Earlier, Senator Panfilo Lacson indicated on Twitter that the Senate, which investigated the vaccine procurement process, might have helped prevent graft from attending the vaccines purchase.

"If it's true that government is now dropping the price of Sinovac vaccine from P1,847.24 per dose to only P650, the senate has probably done our share to save our people billions of pesos in the country's vaccination program," Lacson said in a tweet.

Lacson said that netizens deserved a pat on the back.

“Pinapalabas na napigilan namin ‘yong corruption timely… Papel lang ‘yan, hindi ‘yan magpadala ng pera doon,” Duterte said.

“It will be credited sa account kung sino ang manufacturer. Walang hahawak ng pera diyan. Kasi walang nakuha… Looking for something which is not there at all,” he added.

Lacson had said there could be corruption in the government’s procurement of China’s Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine, given the “sharp differences” in the prices of the vaccine in the Philippines and other countries.

In a statement, Lacson pointed out that while Sinovac may only cost $5 per dose, its price in the Philippine could go as high as $38 or more than P1,800.

"The difference in prices of Sinovac vaccine at US$5, US$14 and US$38 reminds me of an old story about how corruption is committed in three Southeast Asian countries - under the table, on the table, and including the table," Lacson said.

Amid Lacson’s claims, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque maintained that Sinovac’s price in the country would only be around P650 per dosage, similar to its pricing in other countries.

Roque said though that the actual price could not be disclosed yet.

The Philippines has already allocated P73.2 billion for the procurement of the vaccines, with P40 billion coming from multilateral agencies, P20 billion from domestic sources, and P13.2 billion from bilateral agreements.

The country aims to inoculate 50 to 70 million people within the year, and an estimated 50,000 is expected to be vaccinated in February. -NB, GMA News