Sen. Risa Hontiveros. (Screen grab/ Senate PRIB)
MANILA, Philippines — If the President can choose his COVID-19 vaccine, the Filipinos should also be free to do so.
Senator Risa Hontiveros said this as she criticized presidential spokesperson Harry Roque’s recent pronouncements that Filipinos could not be “picky” about the vaccine brand they will receive from the government, saying the Palace should stop “cramming vaccine preferences down the public’s throat.”
“Sabi ni Sec. Roque, hindi pwede maging choosy. Pero sabi niya rin na si Presidente mismo ay namimili pa between Russian and Chinese vaccines,” Hontiveros said in a statement on Tuesday.
(Sec. Roque said the public can’t be choosy. But he also said that the President gets to choose between a Russian or Chinese vaccine.)
“Kung si Presidente pwedeng mamili, dapat ang taumbayan ay malaya ding makakapili at kalusugan nila iyan,” she added.
(If the President can choose, then the public should also be allowed to do so for their own health.)
Hontiveros, likewise, pointed out that the public’s dwindling vaccine confidence could be attributed to recent reports on the early vaccination among members of the President’s security personnel as well as thousands of Philippine offshore gaming operator (Pogo) workers.
“Paanong hindi bababa ang tiwala at kung anu-ano ang nababalitaan ng mamamayang Pilipino? Dumagdag pa na nabakunahan ang ilang miyembro ng Presidential Security Group at Pogo workers through apparent smuggling na parang kinukunsinti pa ng administrasyon. Hindi pa sigurado kung ligtas ang bakunang ginamit,” she said.
(No wonder the public’s trust is dwindling. News also came into light about the early vaccination of the Presidential Security Group and Philippine offshore gaming operator workers through apparent smuggling which gives off an impression that the administration is condoning this. We are not even certain if the vaccinations that were done were safe.)
‘Conform or get COVID’
“Klaro sa mga survey na may agam-agam ang publiko sa ligtas ng bakuna, pero parang ang mensahe mula sa Palasyo ay ‘conform or get COVID’. Dehado ang mga Pilipino sa galawan na yan,” Hontiveros said.
(It is clear with the surveys that the public is apprehensive with the vaccination program but the Palace’s message seems to tell the public to “conform or get COVID.” Filipinos are on the losing end here.)
She pointed to a recent Pulse Asia survey which showed that nearly half of Filipinos are unwilling to get vaccinated due to safety concerns.
“We are public servants, and we should earn the people’s trust, not extract it,” the lawmaker said.
“Dapat pinapapanatag ang loob ng publiko, hindi pinagbabantaan [The public should be assured, not threatened],” she added.
During a press briefing on Monday, Roque said the public could not afford to be “picky” with the COVID-19 vaccines citing the large number of Filipinos who need to be vaccinated against the disease.
Roque had also said that those on the priority list could opt out, but they would have to sign a waiver indicating that they passed up on the vaccine. So along with the rest of the public, they would just have to wait for other vaccines to become available.
Hontiveros said such statements could contribute to the vaccine anxiety of the public.
Malacañang should instead recognize and address the public’s “dwindling” vaccine trust that can “threaten the success of the vaccination plan,” according to the senator.
She added that an important consideration is a previous Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey which said that most Filipinos do not trust China, with a “bad” net trust score of negative 36.
The government has already secured 25 million doses of vaccines from China’s Sinovac, a fraction of which is expected to arrive in the country next month.
“We need to prove to the public that no matter where we procure the vaccine from, they can trust government to be faithful to the process from start to end…Many are looking to the Palace for reassurance,” she said.
“I-communicate natin ng maayos sa publiko na walang problema kung dumaan sa tamang proseso at approval ang anumang Chinese vaccine. Ayaw lang natin na yung ibang available vaccines at willing manufacturers, baka maudlot dahil masyadong naka-focus sa ‘Made in China.’ Patunayan ng Palasyo na naniniwala talaga sila na ang bakuna ay solusyong pangkalusugan at hindi political favor,” she added.
(We should properly communicate to the public that there would be no problem with any Chinese vaccine so long as it went through the proper process and approval. We don’t want potential deals with suppliers who are willing and have available supplies not to push through just because we are focused on those “Made in China.” The Palace should prove that it believes that this vaccination program is a health solution and not a political favor.)