Malacañang has denied allegations that it is favoring certain COVID-19 vaccine brands amid speculations that it favors Chinese brand Sinovac’s CoronaVac.
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said that they are choosing vaccines that can be transported to the Philippines at the soonest possible time.
“Ang pinag-uusapan lang po, aling bakuna ang makakarating sa lalong mabilis na panahon dito po sa Pilipinas.”
Moreover, he noted the Philippines’ friendly relations to China may be the reason why Sinovac was able to commit to delivering vaccines as soon as February of this year.
“Gaya nga ng aking nasabi na nung mga nauna nating press briefing, nagkataon lang na dahil meron tayong special na relasyon siguro sa Tsina, eh napagbigyan tayo at darating ng Pebrero ang Sinovac dito sa Pilipinas.”
For the past weeks, lawmakers and critics alike questioned the administration’s supposedly preferential treatment to Sinovac despite its cost and low efficacy rate in clinical trials compared to other vaccines.
