Duterte raises COVID-19 vaccine ‘bounty’ to PHP50M, threatens martial law anew

Not long after he offered a reward to any Filipino who can invent a vaccine for COVID-19, President Rodrigo Duterte today said that he will be raising the stakes fivefold, this time offering a cool PHP50 million (US$985,935).

But the seeming Oprah moment (“You get a reward!”) doesn’t end there. Apparently, the president was only warming up.

“If I’m happy, [I’m adding] another PHP50 million…then that will be PHP100 million (US$1.9 million), you will be millionaires…don’t be embarrassed, take it,” Duterte said in a presser, in English and Filipino.

The statement was made shortly after the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) was extended in Metro Manila and other high-risk areas in the Philippines.

Read: Money, Money, Money: Duterte offers PHP10M reward to Filipino who invents COVID-19 vaccine

The chief executive said upping the reward would supposedly benefit the country’s gifted scientists, who will likely be working in groups, and thus splitting the pot money.

“For scientists in the Philippines, [our] doctors, the bright Filipinos who are there working day and night trying to fight COVID, I’m raising the bounty to PH50M. I will give PHP50 million to the group, because it’s a collegial thing, it’s not just one person [inventing the vaccine],” Duterte said.

Experts have estimated that a vax for the coronavirus will take about 18 months to make. The president meanwhile, who was optimistic enough that a Filipino might invent a cure, ironically also offered his fatalist view of the virus.

“This COVID, it will not stop. It will be here and it will stay until kingdom come.”

“But if there is a vaccine, maybe we might be the first [to invent it], [let’s] involve our scientists to work overtime to come up with a vaccine. COVID equals [the] vaccine. Period,” Duterte said, maintaining that he will lift the lockdown without a hitch if a vaccine is invented.

Yesterday, Senator Panfilo Lacson called for Duterte to instead funnel the then PHP10 million reward for research and development against the disease.

“Now more than ever, the Duterte administration should impose systematic medical solutions and put in funding for research and development programs now rather than promising a grant to scientists and researchers after discovering a vaccine to COVID-19,” Lacson said.

Read: ‘I will bury you’: Duterte threatens rioters, leftist groups challenging gov’t during Luzon lockdown

Meanwhile, Duterte again threatened martial law, following claims from the military that communist rebels were allegedly disrupting the flow of relief goods in areas affected by the lockdown.

“I am warning everybody and putting notice to the Armed Forces [of the Philippines] and the police, I might declare martial law,” he said.

Duterte warned communist rebels: “[I]f you continue your lawlessness, and it is happening all over the Philippines, maybe I will declare martial law.”

Earlier this month, the president threatened to “shoot dead” members of leftist groups who were challenging the government during the Luzon-wide lockdown, then similarly warned that he would declare martial law if they persisted.

Despite this, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles had earlier dismissed rumors of martial law’s imposition, saying it was “not being discussed” by government officials.

 

 



Reader Interactions

Leave A Reply


BECOME A COCO+ MEMBER

Support local news and join a community of like-minded
“Coconauts” across Southeast Asia and Hong Kong.

Join Now
Coconuts TV
Our latest and greatest original videos
Subscribe on