Roque says rich countries’ vaccine donation a move to ease their ‘guilty conscience’

FILE PHOTO: Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque Jr. VALERIE ESCALERA/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — The COVID-19 vaccine donation of rich countries under the COVAX facility are just “feel-good” efforts aimed to assuage their “guilty conscience” for monopolizing vaccine supply, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said Monday.

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said this as he reiterated his COVID-19 vaccine equity advocacy in his bid for a seat at the International Law Commission (ILC), a United Nations panel that develops and codifies international law.

“Ang pagkakaiba ng ating sinusulong, ang COVAX, voluntary, feel-good ng mga mayayamang bansa dahil mino-monopolize nila ang suplay ng vaccine,” Roque said during the “Sa Bakuna, Panalo Ka” event in Angeles City, Pampanga.

(The difference in what we’re pushing for is that donations under COVAX are voluntary, feel-good for rich countries because they are monopolizing the vaccine supply.)

“Dahil nga kinakailangang iaddress ang guilty conscience, ‘Mamigay tayo ng konti sa mga mahihirap na bansa.’ Hindi po yan ang solusyon sa pandemiya dahil sinasabi ng WHO [World Health Organization] na no one is safe until all of us [are] safe,” he added.

(They need to address their guilty conscience by thinking of giving some vaccines to poor countries. That’s not the solution to the pandemic because as WHO said, no one is safe until all of us are safe.)

Roque’s sentiments is aligned with President Rodrigo Duterte’s, who earlier also slammed wealthy nations for “hoarding” COVID-19 vaccines in his speech before the 76th United Nations General Assembly.

Meanwhile, vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. said over 77 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have so far been delivered to the country.

Of this number, 48.7 million doses were procured by the national government, 19.6 million were donated through the COVAX facility, 5.3 million were bought by local government units and the private sector via a tripartite agreement, while 3.6 million were directly donated by other nations.

In terms of the vaccination, more than 45 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered with 21 million persons already fully vaccinated against the viral disease.

EDV