201027 Duterte
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte attends a meeting at the Malacanang presidential palace in Manila, Philippines on Monday Oct. 19, 2020. Image Credit: AP

Manila: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said on Tuesday he would favour a government-to-government deal for the purchase of coronavirus vaccines to prevent the risk of corruption.

“Let me tell everybody that we will not beg, we will pay,” Duterte said in a weekly televised address.

“To the Chinese government, you need not look for partners, we can make it government-to-government.”

The Philippines has the second-highest number of COVID-19 infections and deaths in Southeast Asia behind Indonesia.