Robredo willing to be vaccinated in public

Vice President Leni Robredo on Sunday said she “didn’t need to be dared” to be publicly vaccinated against the new coronavirus. Robredo maintained that while she believed President Rodrigo Duterte should be vaccinated first as the head of state, “I’m willing to go ahead” if he didn’t want to. This follows Duterte’s statement that he was willing to be inoculated with Sinovac’s Covid-19 vaccine in private, in stark contrast to the public vaccinations by other world leaders to inspire confidence in the program. Later, Sen. Bong Go, the President’s former longtime aide, challenged Robredo to get vaccinated alongside Duterte once the vaccines arrived. “I don’t need to be dared because I already volunteered [as] early as December,” Robredo said in her radio show. “I said I was willing to be vaccinated first if it would help restore public trust in vaccinations.” “I never challenged [Duterte himself], what I challenged is the vague stance when it comes to vaccination,” she added. —Krixia Subingsubing