After Garin decried ‘palakasan,’ Galvez says lawmaker wants own COVID jab ration

This is a combination photo of Iloilo Rep. Janette Garin (left) and vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr.. INQUIRER FILES

MANILA, Philippines — Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. revealed Thursday that Iloilo Rep. Janette Garin has asked for her own allocation of the COVID-19 vaccines for her province. But, he added, this is not “correct” since lawmakers are not in the “lineage” of jab distribution.

Galvez issued this disclosure as he clarified that there is no partiality in the distribution of vaccines. Garin, a former secretary of Health, earlier called out Galvez over supposed “palakasan” in the allocation of COVID-19 shots.

“Ang gusto kasi ni Secretary Garin, sa kanya namin ibigay ‘yung doses, which is hindi naman tama. Kasi humihingi siya ng allocation, maguguluhan po ‘yung ibang mga LGUs kasi hindi siya nasa lineage ng distribution,” Galvez said in an interview over ABS-CBN News Channel.

(What Secretary Garin wants is we give her the doses, which is not right. She asked for allocation, but the LGUs will be confused because she’s not in the lineage of distribution.)

Galvez explained that vaccines are distributed to regional centers for health development, provincial and city health offices since they are the ones conducting the vaccination drive.

“We want to clarify na hindi favoritism. Ang ano po namin, kapag may tumawag, ang gusto po ng ating President kapag may humihingi ng tulong, bigyan po talaga ng tulong. Lalo na po ‘yung ibang governors at mayors, kaya po tumatawag ‘yan, they are very desperate for vaccines,” Galvez said.

(We want to clarify there is no favoritism. When someone calls, the President wants to give them help. Especially when governors and mayors call for help, they are very desperate for vaccines.)

“Kung gagawin natin eh ituturndown po natin sila, ay mangyayari po parang mawawalan ng gana ang ating mayors at LGUs na tumawag sa gobyerno,” he went on.

(If we turn them down, they might be disheartened in calling the government for help.)

Garin previously called for a systematic and scientific way of distributing vaccines, questioning how the jabs are given based on “whoever calls, whoever is the friend or whoever is mad.”

The ex-Department of Health (DOH) chief also said Galvez should be “honest” with this work and not simply point to the DOH as the one in charge of vaccine allocation.

KGA