Bato dela Rosa thanks PSG members for being ‘guinea pigs’ for unauthorized vaccine
MANILA, Philippines — While some lawmakers frowned on the early inoculation of some members of the Presidential Security Group (PSG), Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa thanked them for risking their lives as “guinea pigs” for a vaccine still not authorized in the country in a bid to protect the president.
“It’s a decision each one makes, whether they want to get vaccinated or not. Let‘s not make it an issue of things like that because that’s personal for them,” Dela Rosa said in Filipino in an interview over DZMM “Teleradyo.”
[Original quote: “Kanya-kanyang desisyon na yan, kung gusto nila o hindi, ‘wag nating gawan ng issue yung mga bagay na yan dahil personal nila ‘yan.”]
“It has not yet been established if that vaccine is effective because it has not been approved by the FDA [Food and Drug Administration],” he added. “But they already had the vaccination. So let’s thank them for making themselves guinea pigs in that experiment. If the results are good, then thank you. If bad, it’s a pity for them for risking their lives for that vaccine.”
[Original quote: “Hindi pa nga establish kung talagang epektibo yang bakuna na yan dahil hindi pa approved sa FDA (Food and Drug Administration) pero sila ay nagpabakuna na e ‘di nagpapasalamat tayo sa kanila at ginawa nila ang sarili nilang guinea pigs diyan sa eksperimento na yan. Kung maganda ang resulta e di thank you, pero kung pangit, kawawa naman sila at sinugal nila ang buhay nila para diyan sa bakuna na yan.”]
Dela Rosa defended members of the PSG, saying: “I know those people. The PSG has nothing mind but how to defend the President. That is their ultimate mandate. If they themselves carry the virus so that the President dies, that’s a big no for them.”
[Original quote: I know those people. The PSG has nothing on their minds but to defend the President. That is their ultimate mandate. If they would be the carriers of the virus themselves…that would reach the President, that’s a big ‘no’ for them.”]
“The PSG members cannot accept that until they die. They can’t remove it from their conscience if their president gets COVID and dies because of them, that they did not find a way to stop COVID. So that’s their call. Let’s understand it,” he added.
[Original quote: “Hindi matanggap ng PSG ‘yan hangga’t mamatay sila. Hindi nila matanggal sa konsensya nila ‘yan na nagka-COVID ang presidente at namatay dahil sa kanila, na hindi sila naghanap ng paraan kung paano nila pigilan ang COVID. So diskarte na nila yan, intindihin natin.”]
It has not been confirmed what vaccine brand the PSG members were given. But the President said in a speech on Saturday that many Filipinos, including soldiers, had already received the Sinopharm vaccine from China.
Despite being fiercely criticized by lawmakers and several groups, the Malacañang defended the early inoculation of the president’s security personnel by insisting that it was not against the law, even though the vaccine had not been registered with the FDA.
Malacañang also said there was no violation of the anti-graft law because the vaccines were only “tokens” and no public funds were used for it.
Neither Malacañang nor PSG disclosed, however, where the vaccines came from, only saying that they 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 had not authorized its use.
The Department of Justice has already ordered an investigation of the smuggling of COVID-19 vaccines into the country while the military said it would probe the early inoculation of the PSG guards.
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