Duterte: Gov’t still lacks supply of vaccines

President Rodrigo Duterte admitted that the government’s supply of COVID-19 vaccines is still insufficient to be given to all Filipinos.

This is despite the call for faster vaccination against the virus due to the threat of the more contagious Delta variant.

“Ang problema talaga ng Pilipinas, wala tayo supply na maganda,” the President said in the weekly public address on Monday.

“Kasi kung mayroon, maibigay natin sa lahat. If we have numbers in sufficient vaccines, hindi na sila maghintay, ibigay na natin agad. It is just a matter of handling. Our worry is just the handling and how the efficacy of the vaccines is protected. Pero pagdating, gusto natin pagdating ibigay na agad.

“Unahin lang natin ang mga mainit na lugar na marami tao. More persons, more transmission, less crowd, less transmission.”

But the President insisted that the government has not forgotten its duty to protect Filipinos. He also assured that the time would come when the vaccine will reach every place in the country.

“We’re always conscious of our duty to protect all Filipinos, but then it is not a way of saying that to protect, we give all because we cannot have the vaccines. Kailangan natin idahan-dahan lang,” he added.

Duterte: Gov’t still lacks supply of vaccines

“As the supplies come in, we have the money, (Finance) Sec. (Carlos) Dominguez assured us. We are buying, as habang parami nang parami iyan, it will distributed to all local government units, including the far-flung areas na hindi na maabot. We will see to it.”