Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. said there should be no discrimination against travelers who received Chinese-made coronavirus vaccines, saying it was the first brand to be made available.
Locsin made the statement during his participation at the International Forum on COVID-19 Vaccine Cooperation on August 5.
In his speech, posted by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on its YouTube channel on Friday, August 6, Locsin asked the international community to facilitate the movement of vaccinated people across borders.
"There should be no discrimination based on what vaccine one received. All vaccines work — with some people as effectively as any vaccines that came later with the benefit of hindsight," he said.
"Otherwise, it is discrimination against developing countries who got what was first on offer and what they could afford; whose vaccination programs — the first available anywhere — were kick-started by, and relied on the compassion and generosity of China," he added.
"Why should they be penalized by the refusal and inability of others to provide vaccines?" he continued.
According to Locsin, the Chinese vaccines were the first on the scene and "the safest to take" because they relied on tried and tested science and technology.
"The vaccines were somewhat like existing vaccines but enhanced many times over and redirected at COVID. They were, therefore, safer to take; with fewer, smaller, less likely side effects, or for some the cure could be worse than the disease," he said.
"Had many countries not made a grab for it, the death toll would be far greater today and the infection far, far more widespread," he added.
The country's top diplomat said no nation will make a vaccine that was less than optimal considering the speed at which it had to be invented and widely deployed.
"None but the irrational would invent something potentially hurtful and use it on itself, so others might be misled to use it on themselves," Locsin said.
"That would make it a weapon of mass destruction preceded by mass suicide as a test. What would be the point of posthumous victory?" he added.
Some countries still do not allow travelers to enter if they have received the Chinese-made Sinovac vaccine which comprised the bulk of the Philippines’ vaccine inventory.
Schengen Visa Infor reported that so far, in Europe, only seven countries accept Sinovac as valid proof of immunity: Austria, Finland, Greece, Iceland, The Netherlands, Spain, and Switzerland.
Last month, President Duterte expressed concern about a great imbalance in access to COVID-19 vaccines, saying the pandemic has become an “unforgiving race to immunity” due to the lack of bold, collaborative responses to the situation.