No need to be transparent if vaccine donated to a private individual, Año says

For Interior Secretary Eduardo Año, there is no need to be transparent if a COVID-19 vaccine was donated to a private individual.

Año made the remark amid the controversial inoculation of members of the Presidential Security Group despite the absence of a Food and Drug Administration-approved vaccine in the country.

He pointed out that the vaccine was not donated to a certain government office.

"Hindi naman siya dinonate sa Armed Forces as a unit eh, ito ay dinonate sa indibidwal na tao, walang sinasabi na ito'y isang command policy o command-directed activity. Nagkataon lang talaga na itong mga opisyal na ito ang nagpoprotekta sa Pangulo," Año told Dobol B sa News TV.

"Wala ring kinalaman mismo ang PSG unit dito. Ang masasabi natin na dapat transparent kapag ang donation ibinigay for example sa Philippine National Police, sa ganitong departamento... Kung baga indibidwal na binigay sa’yo, personal, walang kailangang, di mo kailangang ilabas 'yun kasi sarili mo lang 'yun eh," he added.

Año did not directly say where the vaccine was sourced. In previous interviews, he said he is not privy to it.

"Sa tingin ko ito'y mga pribadong mamamayan na maaaring mga negosyante na nakakapaglabas-pasok sa China kasi mayroon silang mga negosyo at nakabili doon at may extra siya at ibinigay sa mga interesadong mabakunahan," he explained.

Earlier, Año said the public should not complicate the matter, which was initially disclosed by President Rodrigo Duterte. He said the vaccination of PSG personnel would not affect the official rollout of COVID-19 vaccines in the Philippines.

Meanwhile, Duterte's spokesman, Harry Roque, also called on the public not to think ill of the vaccination of the soldiers, noting that no public fund was spent on this.

FDA director general Eric Domingo said the agency is already looking into the inoculation of PSG personnel using the unregistered vaccine from  Chinese firm Sinopharm.—AOL, GMA News