RICHARD MADELO/ PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO
The country will borrow more than $300 million to fund its Covid-19 vaccination program, President Rodrigo Duterte said on Tuesday.
“Nandito na ang bakuna. So it’s being sold. Iyong iba sa — I don’t know, it would be not good to assume that there’s a black market for that. But [Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez] says that he can borrow… 300 million dollars. So malaki iyan. Makakabili tayo but I think it would do as well to also realize that unahin talaga nila iyong mga tao nila,” Duterte said in a televised address.
Duterte said the threat of Covid-19 had started to fade as international vaccine manufacturers made strides in their vaccine development.
“China na o Pfizer of America, mayroon na sila. So hindi na nakakatakot talaga ang Covid. But kapag ngayon magbili ka, mahal,” he added.
Duterte assured that all Filipinos would be administered the vaccine, and the government would shoulder the vaccination of every Filipino.
However, Duterte said the country could struggle in the international vaccine supply and demand game.
“Americans have about 340 million, plus. And China has about 1.3 billion. So tatapusin muna iyan nila bago sila magbigay sa iba,” he said.
So iyan mga kababayan ko, basta mabakunahan kayo… Kailan? Maghintay lang tayo. Pera? Makahiram tayo kaagad. Ang suplay ang problema. Kung sino iyong country nakapag-imbento, naturalmente unahin niya iyong mga tao niya. That’s the reality of life,” he added.
The country’s Covid-19 tally rose to 399,749 on Tuesday. John Ezekiel J. Hirro