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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 29) At least 56 million COVID-19 vaccines from three American firms are expected to begin arriving in the country by May, Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel Romualdez said.
Romualdez bared this during the virtual forum organized by the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines or FOCAP on Friday.
The Philippines, he said, got a boost for its mass vaccine drive after securing procurement deals with US-based pharmaceutical companies. I am pleased to note that these discussions have been fruitful, leading to separate commitments from Novavax (through the Serum Institute of India), Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson for the supply of 30 million, 20 million, and 6 million doses of their respective vaccines this year, Romualdez said.
Handout Philippine Air Force
The United States is a “stabilizing force” in the disputed South China Sea and the Indo-Pacific region, the Philippine defense chief said Friday, adding that Manila was optimistic about a “new era” of ties with Washington under the Biden presidency.
Manila likely will keep pursuing an independent foreign policy, but is also expected to prolong a decades-old friendly relationship with the U.S. through dealings with the new administration in Washington, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said.
“As for our challenges ahead, the longstanding rivalry between the United States and China will surely continue to test our adeptness in balancing our relations with both countries,” Lorenzana told a forum organized by the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines (FOCAP).