Police charge 3 suspects in vaccine slot sales

Philippine National Police (PNP) chief General Guillermo Eleazar during a Senate hearing. Senate PRIB file photo / Joseph Vidal

MANILA, Philippines — Philippine National Police chief Guillermo Eleazar on Wednesday announced the filing of charges against three people, including an online businesswoman, for the alleged sale of slots in the queue for new coronavirus jabs in Mandaluyong City.

Eleazar said that the PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) lodged a complaint in the Mandaluyong City prosecutor’s office against Cyle Cedric Bonifacio, Melvin Gutierrez, a fire and barangay volunteer in Mandaluyong City and Nina Ellaine Cabrera, the owner of a beauty product line sold online.

Charges filed against the three last Monday include: estafa as well as violation of the Anti-Red Tape Law of 2007 and the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.

The PNP chief explained that Bonifacio, the initial main suspect in the scheme, named Gutierrez as his supposed contact in Mandaluyong City when he offered a slot to his high school friend.

Bonifacio’s high school friend exposed the alleged COVID-19 vaccine and inoculation slot sale on social media.

A report from the PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group (ACG) led to Cabrera’s inclusion among the respondents when she was found to have allegedly “offered 50 to 100 vaccination slots in Mandaluyong City.”

The PNP-ACG claimed that Cabrera showed “intent to sell.”

Eleazar assured that the PNP-CIDG and the PNP-ACG are continuing their investigation into other people who may be involved in the sale of COVID-19 vaccines and inoculation slots.

He further said, “the filing of cases against the respondents should serve as a warning to those who seek to undermine the national vaccination program.”

Online seller denies charges

The PNP chief reminded the public not to patronize the illegal activity, emphasizing that the local governments offer the COVID-19 jabs for free and that no cash needed to be spent to get them.

Cabrera, on the other hand, said she was confused on why her name was included in the charge sheet.

“I am completely baffled as to why I am being dragged into this scheme when in fact, I exposed this exact scam on my Twitter account last May 21, 2021,” she said in a statement on Wednesday.

She has yet to receive a copy of the complaint, but said she was already in communication with her lawyer. “The truth, as always, shall prevail,” she added.

Cabrera shared with the Inquirer her exchange with a person offering to sell vaccination slots being offered by San Juan and Mandaluyong local governments.

Each slot’s price depends on the vaccine brand. The China-made Sinovac costs P6,000 to P8,000 for two doses, while US-developed Pfizer vaccine and British-Swedish AstraZeneca fetches higher at P10,000 to P12,000 per slot.

The fee comes with a vaccination schedule and a vaccination booklet.

Cabrera, however, did not avail of the transaction and rather cooperated with authorities to track down the alleged seller of vaccination slots.

She also allowed the Inquirer to see her unredacted messages to be forwarded to the office of Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., vaccine czar and the chief implementer of the National Task Force Against COVID-19, to help in the investigation.