Pangilinan: Duterte should’ve warned China not to sell less effective COVID vaccines

MANILA, Philippines — It would have been better if President Rodrigo Duterte had threatened China not to sell the Philippines “more expensive yet less than effective” COVID-19 vaccines than warn the United States of a defense pact termination over vaccines.

This was according to Senator Francis Pangilinan, who was reacting to the President’s recent pronouncement that he would continue with the abrogation of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) if the United States failed to provide the Philippines with its COVID-19 vaccines.

“Perhaps our citizens would be better off if he instead threatened China not to sell us more expensive yet less than effective or inferior vaccines,” Pangilinan said on Twitter Sunday.

Perhaps our citizens would be better off if he instead threatened China not to sell us more expensive yet less than effective or inferior vaccines. https://t.co/MHQk9z4XpV

— Kiko Pangilinan (@kikopangilinan) December 27, 2020

In a separate message to reporters, Senator Panfilo Lacson described the President’s warning as “unfortunate.”

“I think there could be a more diplomatic or at least a better way of asking a longtime ally to help us avail of the vaccines for our people without sounding like we are blackmailing our way into it,” Lacson said.

Earlier, the Department of Health (DOH) assured that the 50 percent efficacy rate COVID-19 vaccine of China’s Sinovac Biotech is within the World Health Organization’s (WHO) minimum requirement.

But several lawmakers have thumbed down Sinovac’s 50 percent efficacy rate.

Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri said an efficacy rate of 50 percent for a vaccine against coronavirus pandemic is “a joke” and is “totally unacceptable” while Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon said that such a low efficacy rate will not build public trust in vaccines.

In a tweet on Sunday, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian joined in opposing the 50 percent efficacy rate of the China-made vaccine.

Parang tayong tumataya sa perya gamit ang buhay ng tao. Why settle for the lowest efficacy rate in the market? We should get the best for our people.

— Sherwin Gatchalian (@stgatchalian) December 27, 2020

“Parang tayong tumataya sa perya gamit ang buhay ng tao,” Gatchalian said.

(It’s like we’re placing bets at the circus using the lives of the public.)

“Why settle for the lowest efficacy rate in the market? We should get the best for our people,” he added.

Among the seven vaccine brands that the Philippines might obtain for its planned inoculation program, Sinovac’s vaccine is estimated to be the second most expensive at over P3,600 per two doses.

The government is banking on the Sinovac vaccine to be the first to reach the Philippines with officials saying it may arrive in the first quarter of 2021.

The government is looking to secure up to 25 million doses of the Sinovac vaccine.

The country has so far formally secured 2.6 million doses of vaccine from British drugmaker AstraZeneca, which are expected to arrive in the second quarter of 2021.

‘Seek the best’

Zubiri, in an interview over dzBB on Sunday, urged Malacañang to seek the “best” vaccine for Filipinos and to base its choice on efficacy and cost.

“Bakit po tayo pipili ng bakuna na 50-50 chance na makuha mo yung COVID-19? Paglabas mo ng bahay parang may 50 percent chance ka makuha ang COVID, sayang lang ang pera. Napakamahal pa,” he said.

(Why should we choose a vaccine with a 50-50 chance that you still get COVID-19? If you get out of the house, there’s a 50-percent chance of contracting COVID-19, it’s a waste of money. It’s also very expensive.)

Compared to Sinovac’s vaccine, Pfizer priced theirs at around P1,000 per dose while Moderna’s vaccine is estimated to cost around P1,500 per dose, the senator noted.

The vaccines of these two American drugmakers have already been approved for use in the United States and the United Kingdom and have higher rates of efficacy rates—95 percent for Pfizer’s and 94 percent for Moderna’s.

“We’re asking Malacañang to seek the best one. Dapat pumili sila ng pinakamaganda at pinakaepektibo [They should choose the best and most effective],” Zubiri added.

JPV