Justice Carpio explains why the Philippine government had not yet purchased Western COVID‑19 vaccines by April 2021, analyzing legal misconceptions about advance payments, unsigned procurement contracts, and policy missteps that impeded access to vaccine supplies.
Justice Carpio criticizes how leaders in China, the U.S., and the Philippines shifted their COVID‑19 narratives to avoid accountability for early errors, arguing that diverting attention to competing stories undermines effective public health response.