Gabe Mercado once again poked fun at how the current administration is trying to cover up the real price of the controversial Sinovac vaccine.
An actor and director, Mercado also serves as the Academic Director of the Third World Improv school and is the founder and artistic director of SPIT, Manila’s premier improv company.
On his Twitter account, the actor and director made fun of the difference in transparency between the Philippines, Thailand, and Indonesia.
Thailand revealed that the price of the vaccine is 149.84 Baht or PHP240.26 while in Indonesia, it is priced at 204,199.10 Rupiah or PHP 700. Meanwhile, the Philippines has yet to disclose the information.
HM sis? pic.twitter.com/d0yXlQbtSL
— Gabe Mercado (@gabemercado) January 24, 2021
It can be recalled that many Filipinos called for the Duterte government to disclose the actual price of the Sinovac vaccine. The Palace denied the rumors that the vaccine was priced at PHP3,600.
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque last January 18 said that the Chinese vaccine would be near PHP650 per dose or around PHP1,300 per two shots. However, he stressed that he still could not disclose the real price unless the vaccines were received by the Philippines.
“Kapag iyan ay na-deliver na at napirmahan na ang kontrata, may obligasyon na kaming sabihin sa inyo magkano talaga. Sa ngayon mahigit kumulang PHP650 (per dose), hindi po tataas ng PHP700,” he said in a briefing.
Meanwhile, Health spokesperson Maria Rosario Vergeire had submitted a DOH report regarding the estimated price of the vaccine based on market price estimates. According to Vergeiere, two doses of Sinovac’s CoronaVac is around PHP3,629.
Without an accurate price, Filipinos are left in the dark about why the not-so-effective and more expensive vaccine is the choice for the government.
Even Sinovac’s Biotech General Manager Helen Yang refused to reveal the actual price. “I’m not in a position to discuss this confidential information at this moment,” said Yang in an interview with CNN’s “The Source” last January 18.
However, last Sunday, January 24, Senator Panfilo Lacson stated that the Sinovac vaccines are more than PHP1,800 per two shots.
