MANILA -- When Russian and Filipino scientists met virtually on Aug. 12 to hammer out details for clinical trials of the Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine, they already had one volunteer: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte.
Days before, the 75-year-old leader publicly promoted the Russian vaccine, saying he had a "huge trust" in it, and offered to be a guinea pig himself when clinical trials begin. He has been similarly enthusiastic about Beijing's vaccine efforts
