President Rodrigo Duterte assured that the national government has set aside funds to purchase a coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccine, but will need more to ensure that every Filipino is vaccinated.
“This I can assure you again na nakahanap na ako ng pera. I have the money already for the vaccine but hahanap pa ako ng maraming pera because you know there are now 113 million Filipinos. And to me, ideally, all should have the vaccine without exception,” Duterte said on Wednesday night.
Duterte reiterated that the government would prioritize giving vaccines to the poor listed as cash beneficiaries under the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program or 4Ps.
RELATED STORY: 1,500 Filipinos among 31,000 volunteers of COVID-19 vaccine trials in UAE
“Again, ang mauna ang mga mahirap na walang pera, hindi makabayad. Ang listahan ‘yung doon sa Pantawid,” he said.
The President said he will also prioritize uniformed personnel and frontliners.
“I want security forces ng bayan sa first batch kasi kailangan ko ng sundalo, pulis to be ready, healthy. They are really vital to the security of the state,” he added.
He said that he trusts vaccines that are being developed in China and Russia.
He said he is willing to be inoculated with China’s COVID-19 vaccine.
READ ON: WHO: COVID-19 vaccine may be ready by end of 2020
Meanwhile, the President also bared that he had a talk with outgoing Russian Ambassador to the Philippines Igor Khovaev about the Russian vaccine SputnikV.
“I just had a talk with the Ambassador of Russia, the outgoing, and we had a serious one-on-one talk and they said that Russia is coming in,” he said.
He revealed that Russia is committed to constructing a pharmaceutical plant in the country to produce the vaccines.
Duterte expects that the Philippines could have a vaccine as early as April 2021.
