MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang on Monday refused to disclose the price tag of the 600,000 shots of China-donated coronavirus vaccines, saying the donation is “unquantifiable in pesos and cents.”
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque would rather highlight the importance of the arrival in the country of Sinovac against COVID-19 instead of discussing the cost if it had been procured by the government.
“Alam niyo po, I think yung dumating na 600,000 [vaccines], hindi po talaga pupwede ma-quantify in money terms,” Roque said in a briefing of the government’s Covid-19 vaccination rollout at the Philippine General Hospital.
(You know what, the arrival of 600,000 vaccines cannot be quantified in money terms.)
“Beyond pesos and cents, tingin ko po yung pagdating ng mga bakuna kahapon gives all Filipinos hope na matatapos na ito. It goes beyond kung magkano man per vial iyan dahil ang importante po ngayon, alam ng Pilipino, matatapos na rin itong paghihinagpis at pagdurusa natin sa Covid-19 at meron na tayong bagong pag-asa,” Roque said.
(Beyond pesos and cents, the arrival of vaccines yesterday gives all Filipinos hope that this will end. It goes beyond the price of each vial because what’s important is the Filipinos know now that the sufferings due to Covid-19 will end and we now have a new hope.)
No less than President Rodrigo Duterte himself witnessed on Sunday the arrival of Sinovac vaccines donated by the Chinese government.
Roque earlier said Duterte wanted to personally welcome the arrival of the vaccines out of “debt of gratitude.”
The Philippines began its Covid-19 vaccination program on Monday in Covid-19 referral hospitals using the donated vaccines from China.