Duque denies corruption as senators warn of criminal raps over Pfizer deal
Updated Dec 18, 2020 1:51:00 PM
enablePagination: false Health Secretary Francisco Duque III (FILE PHOTO)
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 18) Health Secretary Francisco Duque III on Friday denied corruption surrounding the bungled deal for the Philippines supposed 10 million COVID-19 vaccine doses from Pfizer, even as senators warned that the Department of Health may face criminal charges for the delayed transaction. I think it’s really tragic, and to an extent criminal on their (DOH) part for having missed the chance of acquiring 10 million vaccines, Senator Grace Poe, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Public Services, told CNN Philippines
December 18, 2020 | 11:32 am Font Size
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MANILA (UPDATE) – The Philippines will be able to secure between four to 25 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines from Moderna Inc and Arcturus Therapeutics Holdings Inc , the Southeast Asia country’s ambassador to Washington said on Friday.
The U.S. companies were ready to supply the vaccines from the third quarter of 2021, Philippine Ambassador Jose Manuel Romualdez said in a statement, if his government found their proposals acceptable.
“We are hoping our government will consider the promising candidates of Moderna and Arcturus for inclusion in our country’s pool of anti-COVID-19 vaccines,” Romualdez said.
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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 18) After the delay in Pfizer vaccine talks, a Philippine envoy on Friday disclosed that two other US biopharmaceutical firms have expressed that they are ready to supply 4 million to 25 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to the Philippines by the second half of 2021.
Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel Babe Romualdez said Moderna and Arcturus already gave their commitment to the Philippines. I am pleased to report that aside from Pfizer, Moderna and Arcturus are ready to supply the Philippines anywhere between 4-25M of their respective vaccines starting Q3 of 2021, he said in a statement.
A top Department of Health (DoH) official insists that its confidentiality data agreement (CDA) with American pharmaceutical giant Pfizer was for data sharing and does not involve supplying the Philippines with its coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccine.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire made the clarification on Friday after Health Secretary Francisco Duque 3rd had been identified by Sen. Panfilo Lacson as the Cabinet member who “dropped the ball” in the deal with Pfizer.
It all started when Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. tweeted that he and Philippine ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel Romualdez had been assured by US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo of a supply agreement for 10 million doses of Pfizer’s vaccine, until it was scuttled by a ranking government official.
The Philippines was supposed to get the Pfizer vaccine in January. - AP
MANILA (Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN): Sen Kiko Pangilinan on Thursday (Dec 17) said some government officials may be held liable for graft over the government’s failure to secure a deal for 10 million doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine that US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had helped to arrange for the Philippines.
In a statement, Pangilinan said the failure raised suspicion that the prospect of kickbacks might have motivated the government officials not to submit a document required by the US pharmaceutical giant.
“We just hope it’s not an issue of ‘kickvac’ that led to the ‘dropping of the ball’ in the vaccine procurement, ” Pangilinan said.