Filipinos cannot just demand the coronavirus vaccines made by Pfizer due to the limited supply in the country, President Duterte declared Wednesday.
The President found unfair that some people would be "selective" towards the US brand to the detriment of other Filipinos especially those in Visayas and Mindanao who also need the medication.
He reminded the public not to be choosy with the vaccine brand, saying the best COVID-19 vaccine is the "one available for you."
"Yung mga tao na would like to demand Pfizer at walang iba ay hindi puwede 'yan kasi hindi naman lahat ng dumating sa atin puro Pfizer (The people wo would like to demand Pfizer and nothing else, that's not possible because our supplies are not all Pfizer)," Duterte said during a televised address late Wednesday.
"You begin to demand exclusively 'yung Pfizer sa inyo, how about the others? Kung ubusin ninyo ang Pfizer para sa inyo lang, walang nang iba, eh yung lahat ng Pilipino ng gusto ng Pfizer hindi mabigyan so I cannot administer exclusive Pfizer sa isang lugar to the exclusion of other Filipinos (If you use up all Pfizer vaccines, other Filipinos who like Pfizer cannot be given so I cannot administer exclusively Pfizer in one area to the exclusion of other Filipinos)," he added.
The country has so far received more than 190,000 doses of Pfizer vaccines under the World Health Organization's COVAX facility. More than 2 million doses are expected to be delivered next month.
The government recently decided to stop announcing the vaccine brand after hundreds of people crowded vaccination sites offering the Pfizer vaccines. Dismayed by some people's preference for the western brand, Duterte has already directed authorities to distribute the Pfizer vaccines donated by COVAX to the indigent population.