Año: PSG COVID-19 vaccines probably donated

Interior Secretary Eduardo Año on Tuesday said the vaccines administered to members of the Presidential Security Group (PSG) were probably donated, noting that there is no commercial distribution yet of COVID-19 vaccines in the country. 

In a television interview, Año said he is not privy if the vaccines administered to the PSG personnel were from the Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinopharm.

"For the PSG soldiers, mostly those who are protecting the President. And let's make it clear no: These vaccines are probably donated by someone who has access to that particular country. There has been no commercial distribution, more on voluntary on the part of the soldiers," Año told ANC. 

It was President Rodrigo Duterte who disclosed that some members of the military have been inoculated using the vaccine from Sinopharm even though the Food and Drug Administration has not approved any COVID-19 vaccine yet in the country. 

On Monday, Año disclosed that members of the Cabinet were also vaccinated against the virus. In the interview, he clarified that he only knew one Cabinet official who was vaccinated. 

"First of all, I would like to correct myself. I only know just one member of the Cabinet. I cannot disclose his identity because I don't want to violate his right to privacy," he said. 

Año maintained that there is nothing illegal with administering vaccines to the PSG personnel and the Cabinet official, saying that it was voluntary on their part. He added that the vaccine was already being used in the country where it was sourced. 

"There's no need for approval of that. You know, these vaccines have EUA in the originating country and if somebody will try that for personal consumption, I don't see any conflict," Año said. 

"It's voluntary on the part of these officers and this Cabinet official. Voluntary 'yan eh. Hindi naman 'yan distribution, selling... Parang ano lang 'yan, if you have relative from abroad and he has access and he sent you one," he added. 

The PSG has defended the inoculation of Duterte's close-in security detail against COVID-19, noting that it was the group's primordial task to ensure that the President was healthy so he could serve Filipinos. —KG, GMA News