FILE — President Rodrigo Roa Duterte salutes outgoing Presidential Security Group (PSG) Commander Jose Niembra and incoming PSG Commander Colonel Jesus Durante III during the PSG Change of Command ceremony at the PSG Compound in Malacañang Park, Manila on February 25, 2020. REY BANIQUET/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — The early inoculation among members of President Rodrigo Duterte’s security personnel with a vaccine yet to be authorized for use in the country exposed the lack of a “clear, fair, and sound” game plan to control the spread of COVID-19, Senator Francis Pangilinan said.
In a statement, Pangilinan joined other opposition senators in questioning the advanced vaccination of some members of the Presidential Security Group (PSG).
“Vacc-it nauna sila? Di ba meron ng guidelines ng mga mauuna sa mga bakuna kontra sa COVID na IATF (Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases) din ang naglabas? Di ba dapat mauna ang health frontliners? Vacc-it sinusuway ang sariling patakaran? Pati ang patakaran ng Food and Drug Administration (FDA) na kailangang suriin kung mabisa at ligtas nga ang mga ito ay sinusuway rin,” Pangilinan said, combining the words “vaccine” and “bakit (why?).”
(Why were they the first to get vaccinated? Aren’t there guidelines, released by the IATF itself, on who should be prioritized in the vaccination? Shouldn’t health frontliners be the first ones to get vaccinated? Why are they violating the guidelines? Even the rules of the FDA were violated here.)
Form a group chat
Pangilinan also criticized the seemingly conflicting statements made by different government officials on the issue.
“Nakakalungkot na kahit nariyan na ang vaccine czar na si [Carlito] Galvez na sa aking paniwala ay may kakayahan at dapat in charge sa vaccine rollout ay kanya-kanyang kilos pa rin at kanya-kanyang magkasalungat na paliwanag sa ligalidad at mga opisyal na posisyon ng mga ahensya ng gobyerno ang lumalabas,” he said.
(It’s sad that even if vaccine czar Carlito Galvez is there, who I know has the ability to lead the vaccine rollout, some officials are releasing conflicting statements and stance on the legality of the said vaccination.)
He then urged officials of the concerned agencies to “work as one so that we can heal as one.”
“Sabi ng IATF mauuna ang mga medical frontliners pero hindi naman ito sinusunod ng Malacañang at ng AFP. Sabi ng FDA at ng Customs iligal yung mga pinasok na vaccine. Sabi naman ni [Presidential spokesperson] Harry Roque walang nangyaring iligal. Sabi nga sa social media dapat bumuo sila ng group chat para iisa lang ang direksyon nila,” the senator said.
(The IATF said that it should be the medical frontliners that should be the first to get inoculated but this is not followed. According to the DFA and the Customs, unauthorized vaccines are illegal. But Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said nothing illegal was done. As people say on social media, they should form a group chat to ensure they are going in the same direction.)
The Senate is scheduled to conduct a Committee of the Whole hearing in January regarding the government’s COVID-19 vaccination plan.
Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon suggested summoning PSG Commander Brig. Gen. Jesus Durante III to the hearing to explain the controversial vaccination among the PSG.
It was last Dec. 26 that Duterte disclosed that many in the country have already been receiving injections of the COVID-19 vaccine from China’s Sinopharm.
The said vaccine has not yet been given any authorization from the FDA.
Unauthorized administration and illegal distribution are punishable by law, Pangilinan, a lawyer, noted.
Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra has ordered the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to probe the use of a still unregistered vaccine to inoculate presidential guards for COVID-19 as it may have violated several laws.
Despite fierce criticisms from lawmakers and several groups, Malacañang earlier said there was no violation of the anti-graft law when PSG received the vaccines because these were only “tokens” and no public funds were used for it.
It also insisted that it was not against the law to be inoculated with a COVID-19 vaccine that has not been registered to regulators.
Neither Malacañang nor PSG have disclosed where the vaccines came from but said that these were “donated.”
However, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana earlier said that the COVID-19 vaccines administered to some members of PSG were considered smuggled since the FDA has not authorized its use.
The Department of Justice has already ordered an investigation on the smuggling of COVID-19 vaccines into the country while the military said it would probe the early inoculation of the PSG guards.