Armed Forces of the Philippines Spokesperson Maj. Gen. Edgard Arevalo. Image: INQUIRER.net file photo / Katrina Hallare
MANILA, Philippines — There is no COVID-19 vaccination drive sanctioned by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) amid reports that some military personnel had already been inoculated even as regulators have yet to approve the use of any vaccine.
Maj. Gen. Edgard Arevalo, AFP spokesperson, issued this statement after President Rodrigo Duterte said some members of the military have already received China’s Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine.
“Wala po tayong alam na AFP-sanctioned na binakunahan ng Armed Forces of the Philippines,” Arevalo said Monday in a televised briefing.
(We don’t know of any AFP-sanctioned vaccination or vaccinated by the Armed Forces of the Philippines.)
“Ngayon, kung meron pong ganyang mga report, hayaan po ninyo na i-validate natin ito upang sa ganun ay malaman natin ang detalye na meron po hinggil sa balita na yan,” he added.
(Now, if there are reports as such, let us validate this to know the details regarding this report.)
The Philippines’ Food and Drug Administration has yet to authorize the use of any COVID-19 vaccine in the country.