Duterte orders DOH to probe vaccination of actor

MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the Department of Health (DOH) to investigate the COVID-19 vaccination of an actor, whom he did not identify, reportedly because he jumped the priority line.

“It happened sa Parañaque. This is a child of an actor. It’s up to you to investigate this,” Duterte, speaking in Filipino, told Health Secretary Francisco Duque III in a pre-recorded briefing aired Wednesday night.

“Then it’s finished, let your legal office handle it. Or give it straight —make a report out of this incident — give it straight to the Ombudsman,” he added.

Duterte said the incident might put in danger the country’s allocated vaccines coming from the World Health Organization-led COVAX facility.

“I understand fully the psyche of a Filipino. ‘Come here. Cut the line here.’ That’s it. That’s the Filipino style. The problem here is that we’re still in the first group [of health workers], [and] everyone else — in the entire Philippines — they number about 1.7 million,” he said.

“You know, ordinarily, it’s just a trivial [matter], actually —under ordinary times. But in times like this, when we are only the donee of the donors and we accepted them [the vaccines] with the conditions, we should follow them. The country representative of WHO [World Health Organization] already told us: ‘If you do not follow the list of priority, you might lose the assistance of the WHO,” he went on.

Though not named by Duterte, actor Mark Anthony Fernandez reportedly got his first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine in Parañaque despite not being a health worker.

He is the son of the late actor Rudy Fernandez and actress -politician Alma Moreno.

Parañaque Mayor Edwin Olivarez justified the actor’s vaccination, saying he was a priority because of his comorbidities, particularly hypertension and depression.

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