President Duterte said that China’s COVID-19 vaccine donation to the Philippines has “no strings attached” except “that their boats are there” in the West Philippine Sea.
During his late-night Talk to the People, the Chief Executive touted once more the aid of China to the Philippines when he asked for a vaccine supply.
“Ang nagbigay ng (vaccines na) no strings attached, ang China (China was the one who gave vaccines with no strings attached). Until now, walang hiningi ang China sa akin maski ballpen. Walang ipinakiusap, wala lahat (China hasn’t asked anything from me even a ballpen. They’re not asking for favors, nothing). Except that their boats are there,” he said, referring to the hotly contested West Philippine Sea.
“Sabi ko naman, sinabi ko na ako rin. Sabi ko, maglagay ako (Then I said, I said I will, too. I said, I will put ships),” the President added.
Duterte stressed that the ships will stay and he will not order them to back out.
READ: China's COVID-19 vaccines not payment for West PH Sea — Duterte
“No way na magsabi akong atras kayo na ginawa nila Trillanes pati ni Alberto (No way that I will back out like what Trillanes and Alberto did),” he said, referring to former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV and former Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario who the President repeatedly blamed for losing Scarborough Shoal in 2012.
Despite having ships there, the President maintained that he doesn’t want to go to war with anyone, “not with China, lalo na America kasi nandito sila sa lupa natin (especially America because they are here in our land).”
The President’s remarks about China came on the heels of his terminating the abrogation of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), which assures the presence of United States military troops in the country, which is in the center of the highly disputed region with Beijing.
READ: Duterte keeps VFA after getting ‘clarity’ on US commitment to defense treaty
Along with Duterte agreeing to continue the VFA came more than six million vaccine doses—3.2 million Janssen and three million Moderna—donated to the country.
China has donated one million doses of its CoronaVac vaccine, which made up the first batch of COVID-19 vaccines that arrived in the country. The doses were used for Filipino health care workers.
Though reportedly not as efficient as the American-made vaccines Pfizer and Moderna, CoronaVac, made by Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinovac Biotech, is the most accessible vaccine for Asian countries like the Philippines.
The Philippine government ordered 20 million of Sinovac’s doses. The latest shipment consisting of two million doses arrived on August 12 while millions more are expected before the month ends.