DAVAO CITY —– A western drug company offered to provide vaccines to the country but they want an advance payment for their study, this was revealed by President Rodrigo Duterte Monday night.
In his televised talk to the nation address, Duterte narrated he was happy when a drug company informed him that the company, which he did not reveal, offered to provide vaccine but before the talk ended, he was asked to put up an advance payment for the study.
“That’s one thing wrong about the Western countries — it’s all profit, profit, profit. There’s a pandemic and you say that, Okay we have the — we have something for sale or something to sell to you. And marinig mo, maligaya ka only to be — only to collapse when the next sentence is said “pero magbayad kayo ng cash advance bago kami magpadala.”
He admitted though, he was wrong because he thought the vaccine is available, which simply means the advance payment will be use fot their clinical trials, which according to Duterte is wrong.
The talks have yet to finalize but, Duterte quipped “and you want us to make a reservation by depositing money, you must be crazy. Hindi ako mag… Bakit ako magbili ng ganung style? Because the Procurement Law of the Philippines, this country, does not allow you to buy something which is non-existence or to be produced as yet”.
He described the proposal crazy and a scam.
If drug companies want to sell vaccines, they must provide their product first, he added.
As it is now, China and Russia have offered to provide the vaccine for the country and the government has yet to reveal the modalities of the proposal.-Newsline.ph
