MANILA, Philippines — Senator Nancy Binay urged the Philippine National Police (PNP) on Thursday to go after syndicates and criminal groups that are manufacturing and selling fake Covid-19 vaccines, instead of “chasing phantoms.”
“Instead of spending time questioning innocent individuals, pursuing false leads and chasing phantoms, bakit di na lang habulin yung mga sindikatong nagkakalat ng pekeng mga bakuna (why not just go after syndicates selling fake vaccines)?” Binay said in a statement.
“With criminal groups taking advantage of the situation, our PNP should focus on real threats to public health, and not perceived threats,” she also said.
According to Binay, those who peddle counterfeit products present more of a threat to public security and public health safety than teacher-volunteers being questioned for helping schoolchildren in remote barangays in Mindanao.
“Paulit-ulit na nating sinasabi na sa ngayon, Covid-19 ang kalaban. Ang dapat na inaaksyunan natin ay ang paglipana ng mga pekeng bakuna at ng mga underground vaccine services,” she said.
(We’ve been saying that Covid-19 is the enemy now. We should act on the proliferation of fake vaccines and underground vaccine services)
“Tugisin na lang sana ang mga talagang lumalabag ng batas kaysa iyong mga volunteer na nagsasakripisyo para maturuan ang mga kabataan nating walang access sa edukasyon,” the senator added.
(Let’s pursue those who violate the law than those volunteers who sacrifice to educate those who don’t have access to education)
Binay also lamented what she called “failure of intelligence” on the part of law enforcers as reports of illegal vaccines being sold in the market have been reported as early as October last year.
Just last Monday, Pasig Mayor Vico Sotto posted on Twitter a screenshot of a seller offering 50 vials of fake Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines for P60,000.
“Merong failure of intelligence dito kasi noong October pa lumabas ang mga reports ng illegal vaccines na kumakalat sa merkado, pati na yung clandestine inoculation ng mahigit 100,000 Chinese POGO (Philippine offshore gaming operators) workers, pero patuloy pa rin yung pagbebenta ng mga pekeng bakuna at operation ng underground clinics,” she said.
(There is failure of intelligence here because as early as October, there have been reports of illegal vaccines proliferating in the market, as well as clandestine inoculation of more than 100,00 Chinese Pogo workers, but the sale of fake vaccines and operation of underground clinics continue.)
It was earlier reported that about 100,000 Chinese in the Philippines, mostly workers at Pogo, had been injected with unregistered Covid-19 vaccines.
The senator then said it should be incumbent upon law enforcement agencies like the PNP, National Bureau of Investigation, or even the Bureau of Customs “to put a high premium on vaccine safety and continue to go after ‘sham’ clinics, and syndicates making counterfeit products.”
“Government must make sure that fake and illegal vaccines do not proliferate in the local market,” Binay said.