NBI agents nab Chinese man suspected of vaccine slot fixing

A Chinese national has been arrested by National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) agents for allegedly collecting fees from other foreigners -- mostly Chinese -- in exchange for COVID-19 vaccination slots.

Identified as Fen Qun Wang, the suspect was said to have collected P18,000 from a female Chinese supposedly for vaccine a slot, but the victim did not receive any jabs.

Two weeks later, Wang reportedly asked for an additional P5,000 for the vaccination to push through.

“She tried to verify, she researched and found out that the vaccination and the processing of slots are free and she verified that the reservation offered to her was fake,” NBI Anti-Fraud and Action Division Chief Palmer Mallari said in a report on GMA’s “24 Oras Weekend.”

Mallari said the NBI found in Wang’s possession a list of names of some 30  Chinese nationals and their mobile numbers, believed to be clients for the vaccination slots.

“It would appear that these are actually the names of the clients na nag-avail ng vaccinations na nagbayad sa kanya [who availed of vaccinations and paid the suspect],” he said.

The NBI is now looking into the list and verifying whether they were able to secure vaccination. It is also in close coordination with the local government units regarding the matter.

However,  suspect Wang denied that he collected any payments. He will be charged with estafa, along with direct assault, disobedience, and resisting arrest for holding out against efforts to have him detained.

On Sunday, the Philippines reported 21,411 fresh COVID-19 cases, bringing the   active cases to 181.951. The total caseload is now at 2,227,367 which includes 2,010,271 recoveries and 35,145 deaths.

As of September 9, the number of those fully vaccinated was at 16.138 million, while those who got their first dose was at 21.589 million. —LBG, GMA News