MANILA – At least 20 million Filipinos will be provided with free coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine, which President Rodrigo Duterte said is expected to be ready by December.
Department of Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said during a Malacañang briefing aired yesterday morning that the government is capable of financing P20 billion worth of COVID-19 vaccines.
“May three pharmaceutical companies na po sa China, one from Great Britain, one from the US na nasa advanced stage na. By around October, matatapos ang trials, so before December, most likely maa-approve ito ng Food and Drug Administration nila,” he said.
According to Dominguez, the COVID-19 vaccines will be purchased via Philippine International Trading Corporation under the Department of Trade and Industry which will turnover the vaccine to DOH.
“DOH will put this in their budget, they will pay this P20 billion in two to three years, babayaran nila thru financing ng Landbank at DBP (Development Bank of the Philippines),” Dominguez said.
Duterte said that poor Filipinos receiving government assistance will be the first to be given a vaccine against COVID-19 when it is already available followed by middle-income citizens, military and police. It will be the military who will implement the free COVID-19 vaccine giving.
“Ang una talaga ‘yung mga tao sa listahan na tumatanggap ng assistance sa gobyerno. Ngayon, pangalawa, ‘yung middle income. Libre ito, hindi ko ito ipagbili,” Duterte said. “‘Yung mga upper income bumili na lang kayo.”
The President also said that drug pushers and drug lords will not be given COVID-19 vaccine, while it could be made available for the New People’s Army if they would “stop fighting” state forces during the health crisis./PN
