Rappler
Why did the Duterte gov’t take months to sign a vaccine deal with Pfizer?
President Rodrigo Duterte saw "no major lapse" in the country's negotiations with Pfizer for COVID-19 vaccines, with Malacañang stating that the ongoing talks mean it is not a major issue.
This statement follows claims by Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. that an unnamed Philippine official "dropped the ball" on securing 10 million doses of Pfizer vaccines.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III revealed it took the Duterte administration about 4 to 5 months to sign a confidentiality data agreement (CDA) with Pfizer, which is a preliminary document for negotiations.
Pfizer officials first approached the Philippine government in late June to start discussions, but the CDA was only signed in late October, with the finalization of the CDA stretching to November when vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. became involved.
Duque detailed this timeline in response to allegations that he mishandled a deal for vaccine supplies that were to be delivered in January.
Vaccine delivery from Pfizer is now projected to occur by mid-2021.
Topics in this story
Explore more stories about these topics.
🤖
This story was generated by AI to help you understand the key points. For more detailed coverage, please see the news articles from trusted media outlets below.
News Sources
See how different news organizations are covering this story. Below are the original articles from various Philippine news sources that contributed to this summary.
The Department of Health (DOH) has defended its timeline for securing COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer, refuting claims that the government missed an opportunity for an earlier acquisition.
Read more →
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III defended himself against accusations that he delayed the Philippines' early access to the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.
Read more →
The Philippines missed an opportunity to secure approximately 10 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for early delivery in January 2021 due to a delayed submission of a Confidentiality Disclosure Agreement.
Read more →
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire clarified that the Confidentiality Disclosure Agreement (CDA) between the Philippine government and Pfizer did not guarantee a supply of COVID-19 vaccines.
Read more →
Senator Panfilo Lacson stated that Health Secretary Francisco Duque III's inaction caused the Philippines to miss out on a January 2021 delivery of 10 million Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines.
Read more →