MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte considers as a “gray area” the issue of local chief executives who jump the priority line for the COVID-19 vaccination if their purpose is to boost their constituents’ confidence in the vaccines.
“I think it’s a universal excuse — so that their constituents won’t be afraid [to be vaccinated,” Duterte said in a pre-recorded speech that aired Wednesday.
“For me, that’s somewhat a gray area,” he said, adding that “it would require a certain amount of legal study.”
Earlier, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) issued show-cause orders to five mayors for jumping the priority line for COVID-19 vaccines.
The mayors are Alfred Romualdez of Tacloban City, Dibu Tuan of T’boli in South Cotabato , Sulpicio Villalobos of Santo Niño in South Cotabato, Noel Rasa of Legazpi City in Albay, and Abrahan Ibba of Bataraza in Palawan.
Duterte also brought up how he was prodded to be the first to get inoculated to increase public confidence in the COVID-19 vaccines, but he said could not be prioritized because of his age.