Romualdez still mum on COVID-19 vaccination claim

House Majority Leader Martin Romualdez still has yet to confirm or deny the claim that he received a vaccine against COVID-19.

Reporters have repeatedly asked Romualdez's office for the lawmaker's response to Senate President Vicente Sotto III's assertion that he and Senator Panfilo Lacson got a COVID-19 immunization shot.

However, no comment has still been issued as of Tuesday.

In a radio interview on Saturday, Sotto claimed that 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.

On Monday, Sotto maintained the story he heard Lacson and Romualdez already tried a COVID-19 immunization shot several weeks ago, supposedly before mid-September.

He said he attended a meeting in Malacañang on September 16 and heard Romualdez telling the story to President Rodrigo Duterte about him and Lacson being immunized against the disease.

"Hindi ko alam anong klaseng vaccine ang ginamit pero sila ni Congressman Martin Romualdez sinubukan nila 'yung immunization vaccine, 'yun ang pagkakaalam ko," Sotto said.

"Kasi si Martin Romualdez ang nagkukwento kay President noong nandoon ako... Napagkwentuhan lang kasi kinwento nga ni Martin na sila daw nila Ping nagpa-injection ng immunization, sinubukan, parang ganoon," he added.

But Lacson on Sunday hinted that his getting immunized to COVID-19 was a joke, and on Tuesday still would not say one way or another whether Sotto's claim was true.

Amid reports that lawmakers supposedly had access to COVID-19 vaccines, the Department of Health reiterated that none has been approved yet in the country.

It warned manufacturers, suppliers, and distributors that there are laws against distribution of products not registered with the Food and Drug Administration. — BM, GMA News