MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa said on Saturday he would be willing to get inoculated with a COVID-19 vaccine not yet authorized by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) if he would be offered one.
That was Dela Rosa’s answer when asked about the issue in an interview over DZMM “Teleradyo” on Saturday.
“I will think about it. FDA-approved or not, this is my life. I don’t care about that FDA, whether they approve it or not. It’s my life at stake. I have to decide for my own life,” he said in Filipino.
[Original quote: “Pagisipan ko. FDA-approved or hindi, buhay ko ito. Wala akong pakialam diyan sa FDA, kung approved nila o hindi ‘yan basta buhay ko nakasalalay, I have to decide for my own life.”]
He clarified, however, that the vaccine should have been approved by regulators of other countries.
“For example, if it’s approved in China and it’s not approved here by our FDA. So [it’s okay] if it’s already approved in China — China has its own FDA. The approval of the FDA here is more of a formality only,” he added.
[Original quote: “Halimbawa, approved na sa China, hind pa approved dito sa FDA natin, so kung approved na sa China, may sariling FDA yung sa China. Ang pag-approve ng FDA natin dito is more on formality na lang yan.”]
“For example, if it comes from Europe and it has not been tested here by the FDA, but if it’s already being used in other places there — meaning they have their own FDA that approved it — then it’s not your business. It’s my life at stake. I will make the decision whether I will be vaccinated or not — if it’s already available,” he went on.
[Original quote: “Halimbawa, galing sa Europe yan, di pa na-examine na test ng FDA dito, ‘di pa nila na-approve pero kung ito’y ginagamit na nila doon sa lugar nila, meaning may sarili silang FDA na nag-approve, then bahala na kayo diyan. Basta buhay ko ang nakataya dito. Desisyunan ko ito kung magbabakuna ako hindi. Kung may available (na vaccine).”]
Nevertheless, Dela Rosa stressed that he would prefer getting injected with a vaccine with a high efficacy rate.
The senator was asked the question in light of the controversy surrounding the early inoculation among President Rodrigo Duterte’s security personnel even as regulators in the Philippines have yet to authorize a vaccine for use.
The issue has now placed the Presidential Security Group (PSG) in hot water, with some lawmakers and sectors criticizing their inoculation considering that health workers are on top of the government’s priority list for vaccinations.
The FDA said it would investigate the issue.
Several lawmakers also frowned upon the controversial vaccination, saying that the law had been violated. But Malacañang insisted that it was not the case.
Malacañang also said there was no violation of the anti-graft law when PSG members received the vaccines because these were only “tokens” and no public funds were used for it.
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana earlier said, however, that the COVID-19 vaccines were considered smuggled since the FDA had not authorized their 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.
‘Wag sana ma-cremate’
Dela Rosa was among the five senators that previously contracted COVID-19. All of them have now recovered.
“If the vaccine is really okay, I will get one because when I still had COVID I prayed for nothing else but this: Lord, I hope I won’t end up cremated. t’s hard to be cremated. No one can go to your funeral. It’s hard to think about. That is torture for you,”
[Original quote: “Kung talagang okay na yan na vaccine… Eh ‘di magpapabakuna na rin ako dahil nung nagka-COVID ako, wala akong ibang dasal: Lord, ‘wag mo sana akong ipa-cremate. ‘Yun lang palagi kong dasal noon, ‘wag sana akong ma-cremate dahil napakahirap yung ma-creamte ka. H indi ka madalaw sa lamay mo, napakahirap, torture sayo ‘yun.”]
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