Palace defends priority status for soldiers' families in COVID-19 vaccination drive

Malacañang on Monday defended President Rodrigo Duterte’s decision to include the families of soldiers in the list of potential early recipients of COVID-19 vaccines.

Soldiers and policemen and other uniformed personnel are considered fifth priority under the government’s vaccination plan, which the President expanded to include the families of servicemen, his spokesperson Harry Roque said.

“I think hindi naman po nababago [ang prioritization],” Roque said at a news conference.

“Ang ini-expand lang niya ay kasama iyong mga kapamilya noong mga kasundaluhan and that’s out of recognition na on the part of the President na talagang importante po ang papel na ginagalawan o ginagampan ng ating mga men in uniform because theirs is the maintenance of peace and order in our society,” he added.

Roque said the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) will take the steps necessary to implement the latest directive from the President, who announced it in a speech before troops in Sulu last Friday.

“Huwag naman po kayong mag-alala kasi sa ating initial list, 24 million ang ating babakunahan. If at all, siguro madadagdagan po ito ng mga two million if there are three members of a family of the men in uniform,” Roque said.

“At sobra-sobra naman po iyong inaasahan na nating dadating na bakuna by the second or third quarter of the year.”

The Philippines aims to begin its mass inoculation program next month. —KBK, GMA News