Solon slams Roque’s ‘public cannot be choosy’ remarks

ACT Teachers Rep. France Castro. INQUIRER.net file photo / Noy Morcoso

MANILA, Philippines—ACT Teachers Rep. France Castro denounced presidential spokesperson Harry Roque for his pronouncement that the public cannot choose what brand of COVID-19 vaccine they may opt to receive.

Castro, the House assistant minority leader, added that the public definitely has the right to choose since it’s the citizens’ fund that the government will use in this matter of public health.

“The gall of presidential spokesperson Harry Roque to say to the people they’ve forced to put on lockdown for almost a year that they cannot choose which vaccine brand they might opt to receive,” said Castro.

“The people have every right to choose and demand for the most effective and cost efficient vaccine that the government will provide the people that it swore to serve.”

Roque, on Monday, said that the public cannot be picky when it comes to what brand of vaccine the government decides to inoculate as there is a limited supply of it during the pandemic.

The government has prioritized the China-made Sinovac vaccine that has an efficacy rate of 50 percent, the lowest of all available brands but is also the most expensive at more than P3,000 a dose.

This drew the ire of both the general public and members of the medical community including Dr. Tony Leachon, who was once part of the Inter-Agency Task Force for emerging infectious diseases.

“When it comes to public health and public funds, it is right and just for the people to be ‘choosy’ to make sure that government will procure the most number of doses to be able to vaccinate more people using the vaccine that is most cost efficient and effective,” said Castro.

“It is the government’s responsibility and mandate to provide the people the safest and most cost-efficient vaccine.”

JPV