Lacson hints claim that he got COVID-19 vaccine might only be a joke

Senator Panfilo Lacson on Sunday hinted that him getting a vaccine against COVID-19 might only be a joke.

Lacson made such a remark a day after Senate President Vicente Sotto III claimed that he and House Majority Leader Martin Romualdez had been injected with a COVID-19 vaccine and that they were immune from the disease.

In a Dobol B sa News TV interview, Lacson said that when senators are having a break from work, especially amid the lengthy budget deliberations, they usually meet at their lounge where they tell jokes to each other.

"Ako, ang isang trip ko, kilala nila ako. Ang isang trip ko kapag nagbibiro ako, gustung-gusto ko 'yung merong senador na sumasayaw sa balat ng mani," he said.

"Kapag ganu'n, mga biro na akala mo totoong-totoo, 'yung sayaw nang sayaw naniniwala, pero actually biro. Having said that, let's leave it at that para wala nang pag-uusapan," he added.

Lacson, however, did not directly answer whether he actually had been vaccinated against COVID-19.

"Hindi ko sinasabing biro, hindi ko sinasabing totoo. Basta't ganu'n. Kapag nasa lounge kami at inaabot na kami ng madaling araw tapos kinabukasan maaga na naman kami, siyempre nagpapalabas kami ng stress," he said.

"Kaya kapag nasa lounge at medyo naka-break, wala kaming ginawa kundi magkuwentuhan. Hindi mo na alam kung ano ang totoo, ano ang hindi. So let's leave it at that," he added.

In a radio interview on Saturday, Sotto said Lacson and Romualdez had been inoculated with a vaccine "parang pareho sa Pfizer," which only recently concluded its late-stage trials. 

“Si Senator Lacson, ang tapang. Immunized na ‘yun, nagpa-injection na ‘yun. Nauna na siya, sila ni Martin Romualdez… parang pareho sa Pfizer,” he said.

Sotto added that others have already taken the vaccine, but he did not specify if these were only Lacson and Romualdez or also other individuals.

“Meron na pero ‘yung iba kasi matatapang na nagpapauna. Ang biruan nga namin ni Senator Lacson, sabi niya partner pa-immunize ka na. Sabi ko teka muna titignan muna kita 'pag nitong Pasko, nakikilala mo pa ako. Baka mamaya pagdating ng isang araw sabihin sa akin, who are you?” he said.

Romualdez has yet to respond to a request for comment from reporters.

Earlier this month, vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. said COVID-19 vaccination could begin by May 2021 if everything will go as planned. —KG, GMA News