Palace urges LGUs to pass ordinance vs. COVID-19 vaccine, vaccine slot sellers

Local government units (LGUs) should enact an ordinance providing sanctions to individuals who sell COVID-19 vaccines or vaccination slots, Malacañang said Tuesday amid reports on such money-making scheme.

"Dapat magpasa ng lokal na ordinansa ang LGUs rito para sa malinaw na basehan [ng parusa]," presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said in his regular press briefing.

(LGUs should pass ordinance that will provide the sanction for this illegal activity.)

"Libre po ang lahat ng bakuna dahil lahat po ng bakuna ay hindi approved for commercial use [All vaccines are free because they are not yet approved for commercial use]. This selling is swindling, if not a violation of FDA law," he added, referring to Food and Drug Administration.

Reports said vaccine slots in certain LGUs are being sold for as much as P15,000 each. 

The Manila city government, led by Mayor Isko Moreno, already passed an ordinance penalizing individuals behind such scheme. 

"We won't allow this selling of vaccines because for one, it would jeopardize our commitment with the COVAX Facility which is for equitable vaccine distribution," Roque said.

COVAX is a global aid facility which pools resources from wealthy nations and firms to aid low- and middle-income countries in their COVID-19 vaccination program.

The Philippines has already received at least 2.6 million doses of donated AstraZeneca and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines from the COVAX facility. —KBK, GMA News