MANILA, Philippines — “We do not have the clout because we are not a rich nation.”
President Rodrigo Duterte had this to say amid the government’s bid to secure and purchase vaccines against the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19), which continues to infect many Filipinos.
In a recorded briefing aired on television Monday night, Duterte said the reason the Philippines seems to be “second fiddle” in the negotiations in the acquisition of COVID-19 vaccines is that rich nations are being given the vaccines first.
“Parang second-fiddle tayo, it’s because ‘yung mga mayaman, doon pa ginagawa sa kanila ang vaccine, uunahin talaga ang Amerika,” Duterte s…
Keep on reading: Duterte: PH ‘second fiddle’ in vaccine procurement ‘because we’re not a rich nation’