Duque vows no VIP vaccination vs. COVID-19

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III on Monday said that the prioritization list of the government's vaccination program against COVID-19 will be followed.

In a House hearing, ACT Teachers party-list Representative France Castro demanded assurance from Duque that VIP vaccination has already stopped.

“Yes, madame chair, your honor. We will do our level best to ensure that the prioritization formula is followed. Sundan po natin 'yung prioritization program,” he said.

In December, the Department of Health issued its list of priority groups for the vaccine rollout.  The first priority are frontline health workers, followed by senior citizens, indigent Filipinos, and uniformed personnel.

Later that same month, President Rodrigo Duterte bared that some members of the military had already received a COVID-19 vaccine from Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinopharm.

The Presidential Security Group later admitted to having themselves vaccinated on their own accord, receiving an unregistered vaccine for free—upon their request—from a donor they refused to disclose.

Agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Bureau of Customs (BOC), and the National Bureau Investigation (NBI) have been probing the PSG vaccination.

FDA Director General Eric Domingo said that the investigation is still ongoing and that there is no initial report yet.

“Hanggang ngayon, nag-i-investigate po tayo ngayon kasama po ng team ng FDA, tapos po yung BOC, tsaka po yung NBI. Naggawa na po kami ng composite team,” Domingo said.

“They are following on leads. Nagsulat na rin po kami sa several po na mga possible importers at tsini-check na po ‘yung warehouses ng mga nag-iimport ng gamot in the last few months,” he added.

Senate President Vicente Sotto III earlier also claimed that Senator Panfilo Lacson and House Majority Leader Martin Romualdez received shots when no COVID-19 vaccine was approved yet in the country.

Neither lawmaker has confirmed or denied the claim, but Lacson later on hinted that it might only be a joke.

Last year, the government was also criticized for alleged "VIP testing," with officials and other prominent figures getting tested ahead of the general public and receiving their results ahead as well. — BM, GMA News