ASEAN does not have same clout as EU in securing COVID-19 vaccines — Duterte

Published February 01, 2021 10:25 PM Updated February 01, 2021 11:20 PM By MA. ANGELICA GARCIA,GMA News

President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday night said the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) does not have the same influence as the European Union when it comes to securing vaccines against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

In his nationally televised address, Duterte said ASEAN countries are “not really as powerful” as the EU.

“Eh wala tayong koneksiyon. Wala tayong pera,” Duterte said. “Itong problema ng COVID, hindi talaga madali. Ang greatest disadvantage natin, hindi tayo mayaman.”

“One day, maybe, one day… magkakaroon din tayo ng panahon to shine. Hindi na ako ‘yan… Our time will shine someday. ‘Yong ASEAN it is not that powerful to have a clout sa mga ganitong ginagawa ngayon. Walang supply,” he added.

Duterte also pointed out that British-Swedish drugmaker AstraZeneca

and the European Union are at odds over vaccine deliveries due to a supply shortage.

“For all of the brouhaha, ‘O meron kami dito [bakuna]’ Saan? E ‘yung AstraZeneca hinostage ng European Union,” he said.

Further, the president still called on the public to trust the government in terms of vaccine procurement and distribution.

“Just keep your faith in government. Tutal, si (Secretary Carlito) Galvez, ‘yon naman ang trabaho niya,” Duterte said.

“We cannot do anything. We cannot call upon the heavens to fall on its knees, to demand and be ours what is not to be simply ours. So just keep your faith in the government,” he added.

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. -- BAP, GMA News

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