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After Tulfo's admission, House probe into VIP vaccination should start —lawmakers
By ANNA FELICIA BAJO,GMA NewsTwo progressive lawmakers on Wednesday slammed the inoculation of former broadcaster Ramon "Mon" Tulfo with the Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine even though it has not yet been approved for use in the country.
Bayan Muna Representatives Carlos Isagani Zarate and Ferdinand Gaite called for an investigation into the matter.
Zarate, for his part, said Tulfo's admission
that he was already vaccinated with a smuggled vaccine is already a call for the House probe into VIP inoculations to start."The House should start the probe now as it appears that it is not only the Presidential Security Group (PSG) that has undergone VIP vaccinations but other government officials as well using smuggled vaccines, based on Mon Tulfo's confession," Zarate said in a statement.
"VIP testing and vaccination will not help in gaining confidence of our people in the program and it also undermines the prioritization that was previously laid down by the DOH [Department of Health]," he added.
Meanwhile, Gaite said Tulfo's use of smuggled vaccines should serve as grounds to deny him a license for distributing Sinopharm vaccines.
"Hanggang ngayon wala pang bakuna para sa mamamayan pero itong mga alipores ng pamahalaang Duterte, tuloy-tuloy ang pag-smuggle ng bakuna at VIP vaccination. Hindi na nahiya, mali na nga ang ginawa, ipinagyayabang pa," Gaite said.
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"Hindi ito dapat palampasin. Dapat itong imbestigahan, at dapat may managot dito," the lawmaker added.
In January, the Makabayan Bloc filed House Resolution 1451 seeking to investigate the VIP vaccination of PSG members using an unregistered COVID-19 vaccine. Zarate said their call has yet to be calendared for hearing.
The DOH said Tulfo, the country's special envoy to China, will be included in the probe into the vaccination of the security men of President Rodrigo Duterte.
Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said he was not aware of Tulfo being vaccinated.
Tulfo said he didn't see any conflict of interest in getting vaccinated with a Chinese vaccine and his bid to be a distributor for the Chinese firm all while being the Chief Executive's special envoy. —KG, GMA News