MANILA, Philippines — The COVID-19 vaccination of some Chinese nationals in Pasay City did not violate government protocols as they are permanent residents of the city, the Department of Health (DOH) said.
DOH Maria Rosario Vergeire said according to Pasay City officials, the Chinese nationals inoculated in the city were permanent residents.
“Iyan naman po ay naisaad na sa isa sa mga IATF (Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases) resolutions na sinasabi na kung ikaw ay permanent resident dito, bagamat ikaw ay foreigner, you will not be treated differently from Filipino nationals,” Vergeire said during Saturday’s Laging Handa briefing.
(It’s stated in one of the IATF resolutions that as long as you are a permanent resident, even if you are a foreigner, you will not be treated differently from Filipino nationals.)
“Ibig sabihin, dito ka nakatira. Kailangan bakunahan ka namin kasi ikaw ay makakasalamuha rin ng mga Pilipino. So ito pong nangyari sa Pasay noong isang araw ay nabigyan na po natin ng clarity na ito naman po ay ayon sa protocols ng ating gobyerno,” she added.
(That means you live here. You still need to be vaccinated because you are interacting with Filipinos. So what happened in Pasay, we were able to get clarity on that, that it was in compliance with government protocols.)
In an interview with CNN Philippines’ The Source on Friday, May 28, Pasay City Mayor Emi Calixto-Rubiano said the Chinese nationals who were vaccinated were included in the A2 (senior citizens) and A3 (persons with comorbidities) priority group.
Rubiano also denied that there was any special treatment given to the vaccinated Chinese nationals, whom she estimated cannot be more than 100.
She said that prior to the vaccination, the Pasay City government assessed the barangay and medical certificates of the Chinese nationals.
Rubiano added that they will vaccinate everyone regardless of nationality for as long as they have valid documents to show that they are city residents and are included in the priority list.
“Kapag po talaga bonafide resident dito ay nababakunahan basta po may patunay na sila ay t-ga-doon sa barangay na yun and kung talagang meron silang comorbidity,” she said.
(If you are a bonafide resident, you will be vaccinated as long as you are from that barangay and if you really have any comorbidity.)
“Then after that, talagang ini-interview po yun and then ini-iscreen. ‘Pag di po sila nakapasa, ‘di namin binabakunahan,” she added.
(Then after that, there’s an interview and screening. If they do not pass that, we will not vaccinate them.)