President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday expressed willingness to give the Covid-19 vaccine he is supposed to receive to anyone who could “live productively.”
Duterte, 76, said the government should prioritize those who would go on to live longer lives.
“Ako, magwi-waive ako. Magwiwaive ako. Basta 70 above… Alam mo 70 above, ano mang ma—ano mang makuha mo magsige ka dream? Dream of what? Living until kingdom come? Ako magwi-waive ako. Kung sino ‘yong may gusto sa slot ko, ibigay ko,” he said in a public address.
“I am that fatalistic actually. I have always been na kung panahon ko na either it’s Covid or a bala or whatever disgrasya. Wala akong masyadong ano diyan sa illusions about life and death. If anyone wants to have it, they can have it. We are not in the priority anyway kasi above ano na,” he added.
It was not clear whether Duterte was referring to his being a senior citizen or being a government official, but the local governments have started vaccinating senior citizens.
The president claimed only few senior citizens were “productive” amid the Covid-19 pandemic, and “ang unahin natin ‘yong mabubuhay pa.”
“Well, come to think of it actually, ang unahin natin ‘yong medyo pagka nabigyan ng vaccine, there’s a chance that he would live and live productively. Iyon naman ang aking pang… Ito, pangsagot doon sa ano na kami nga magwi-waive kami,” he explained.
The latest pronouncement of Duterte, who had volunteered to be the first one to get inoculated against Covid-19, was the latest of his contradicting statements as to whether he would get vaccinated or not. John Ezekiel J. Hirro