TAKING cue from the statements uttered by a top Malacañang official, proposals for an infomercial that would see President Rodrigo Duterte and Vice President Leni Robredo may not materialize.
Interviewed over the radio, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said that unless Robredo would make a public admission that the China-made Sinovac vaccines called CoronaVac are as effective as others, there is a very slim chance that the President would agree to it.
He also called on the Vice President to set aside politics.
“Kasi ang alam ko po sa unang panahon ay kinuwestyon pa nga ni VP Leni ang paggamit ng Chinese vaccines. So parang I cannot see na ie-enderso niya na pare-pareho ang vaccines,” Roque said.
Other than that, the Palace mouthpiece said that Robredo may not retract her statement accusing the administration of giving up the West Philippine Sea in exchange for the China-made vaccines.
“Sana po kung masasabi niya at ‘yan ay matuloy pero alam niyo po ginawa talagang politika pati itong bakuna. Kaya nga po sinabi nila itong Chinese vaccine ginagamit natin kapalit ng West Philippine Sea.”
He also assailed Robredo for refusing to make a public call for the people to get inoculated regardless of the brand.
“So sa akin po, sana po masabi mismo ni vice president ‘yon. Simulan po natin do’n at kung masasabi niya na pantay-pantay ang mga bakuna at isasantabi niya ang politika ay pag-aaralan natin ‘yan, bakit naman hindi. Pero ang tanong ay masasabi niya ba yon?” Roque added.
It was actually Senator Joel Villanueva who first proposed a vaccine infomercial featuring Duterte and Robredo, saying this could encourage Filipinos to get inoculated against COVID-19.
But far from what Roque claims, Robredo’s spokesperson, Atty. Barry Gutierrez, said the Vice President is open to all suggestions that will help boost public confidence in COVID-19 vaccines.
“Kung may magri-reach out sa kanya at magsasama sila ni Pangulong Duterte para magkaroon ng infomercial para lalong ma-engganyo ang ating mga kababayan na magpabakuna sa lalong madaling panahon, eh bukas ho siya d’yan,” Atty. Gutierrez said in a separate interview.
He said the Office of the Vice President has already released an infomercial on COVID-19 vaccines as early as February.
Atty. Gutierrez said Vice President Robredo is also willing to set aside politics in order to erase doubts on COVID-19 vaccines’ efficacy.
In March, Robredo clarified that she is fine with the use of Sinovac’s COVID-19 vaccine in the country but this must first secure a positive recommendation from the Health Technology Assessment Council just like those of Pfizer-BioNTech and AstraZeneca.
Duterte and Roque have insisted that HTAC was a recommendatory panel and thus, its approval was not a mandatory requirement.
Robredo, however, disagreed. Malacañang then blamed her for the public’s low confidence in Chinese COVID-19 vaccine CoronaVac.