Duterte tasks DILG to supervise handling of COVID-19 vaccines

President Rodrigo Duterte has tasked the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to take part in supervising the transportation and handling of COVID-19 vaccines.

In a taped public briefing aired on Tuesday morning, Duterte gave this directive after vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. reported that Pfizer vaccines for Cebu and Davao will no longer pass through Metro Manila and will be sent directly to the provinces.

“Wala akong problema na diretso sa mga local governments [ang bakuna]. Ang problema ko is ‘yung handling… time of the essence, from the handling to the transfer,” Duterte said.

(I have no problem with the direct delivery of the vaccines to local government units. My problem is the handling. Time is always of the essence, from the handling to the transfer.)

“I would insist that the DILG will be part of the supervisory team kasi gusto ko malaman ni [Interior] Secretary [Eduardo] Año if everything is done according to what has been planned,” he added.

Duterte said it is the “obligation” of the DILG to ensure that the integrity of the vaccines is preserved.

He said the DILG could “sound the alarm on time” should there be any mishandling or incidents in the logistics and handling of the COVID-19 vaccines.

At the latter part of the briefing, Galvez said he will write a letter to Año, asking him to issue a directive to local government units to ensure the preservation and integrity of the vaccines and to ensure that cold storage requirements are met.

Duterte responded, saying he wants “two to four eyes looking at the rules being followed.”

Recently, there are reports of COVID-19 vaccines being wasted or compromised due to storage and logistical problems.

Last Saturday, the Department of Health said it is investigating reports that 348 vials of Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine in Cotabato were damaged as the freezer containing them was left without power.

Meanwhile, a service boat carrying COVID-19 vaccines capsized off Real, Quezon, last Thursday, but the DOH said the vaccines could still be used.

So far, the government has already inoculated three million Filipinos against COVID-19.

Currently, the government is inoculating the medical frontliners, senior citizens, persons with comorbidities, and workers who are considered as economic frontliners. —KBK, GMA News