As his ‘legacy,’ Duterte wants to establish PH’s own vaccine institute — Palace

MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte wants to establish the Philippines’ own vaccine institute as his “legacy” to Filipinos before his term ends in 2022, Malacañang said Tuesday.

According to presidential spokesman Harry Roque, Duterte has already directed the Department of Budget and Management to set aside funds for the proposed vaccine institute.

“This is the instruction now that the DBM should have a substantial amount of funding available so we can establish a vaccine institute to enable us to manufacture our own vaccines,” Roque said in an online briefing.

Roques said that the President wishes to leave as a legacy that he was the one who founded the vaccine institute, allowing the Philippines to no longer rely on imported vaccines.

According to vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr., Duterte said that he wants to solve the country’s vaccine shortage even after leaving office.

“Napaka-intimate iyong pagkakasabi niya (Duterte) sa amin, ‘Even though I am not anymore the President, I want to solve the problem of the Philippines in terms of really securing and eliminating the disease that we have,’” Galvez recalled in the same briefing.

(Duterte told us intimately: “Even though I am no longer the President, I want to solve the problem of the Philippines in terms of really securing and eliminating the disease that we have.”)

“Kasi alam naman ng Presidente na talagang ang Pilipinas ang dami nating kailangang vaccine not only for COVID-19 but also to other fatal diseases that we have right now,” he added.

(The President understands that the Philippines needs a huge number of vaccines, not just for COVID-19, but also for other fatal diseases that we have right now.)

Galvez, in a pre-recorded briefing with the President, aired Monday, advocated for the passage of a law that would modernize the Philippines’ health care system and prepare it for future pandemics.

READ: Galvez wants law modernizing healthcare system to prepare PH for future pandemics

During his recent visit to India, Galvez said its Serum Institute offered to help the Philippines locally produce its own vaccines.

READ: Serum Institute of India offers to help PH locally produce vaccines — Galvez

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