'Palakasan na ba?' Pangilinan asks amid inoculation of soldiers, Cabinet members

Senator Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan on Monday asked if patronage system was at play after Cabinet members and members of the military received COVID-19 vaccines even before an authorization is released by the Food and Drug Administration.

"Akala ko ba mga medical frontliners at 'yung mga seniors at mas nasa peligrong kalagayan ng kalusugan ang uunahin?" the opposition senator said in a message to reporters.

"Dahil hindi maliwanag ang plano sa vaccine rollout lumalabas na nagkakanya-kanya ang mga nasa Administrasyon sa pagbabakuna at nag-uunahan pa bago pa man maaprubahan ng FDA ang paggamit ng mga bakuna na ito sa bansa... Palakasan na ba at kung sino ang may malakas na kapit sa mga nakaupo ang basehan ng vaccination programa ng gobyerno?" he added.

Pangilinan also raised an eyebrow at how Malacanang seemed to have overstepped the mandate of the FDA in ensuring the safety of COVID-19 vaccines.

Senator Imee Marcos shared the same thoughts on the prioritization of vaccine recipients.

"Walang gulangan sa vaccine! As asserted earlier, the principle should be 'highest risk, first'—not 'best konek, mauna,'" she said.

On Saturday, President Rodrigo Duterte claimed that many Filipinos, including members of the military, were already vaccinated against the novel disease using shots from China's Sinopharm.

Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesperson Major General Edgard Arevalo said soldiers who are part of the Presidential Security Group were the ones who were inoculated "owing to their mission and function."

"As the unit primarily tasked to protect and secure the highest official of the land, the PSG will have to ensure that the President is safe from all threats—including COVID-19," he said.

Meanwhile, Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said Duterte, 75, has yet to receive any vaccine against COVID-19 but some Cabinet members were already vaccinated.

These developments came despite the fact that the Philippine Food and Drug Administration has not issued an authorization for use of any COVID-19 vaccine yet.

The Palace said Duterte did not authorize the vaccination among the soldiers and added that it was purely voluntary.

“I don’t think so. It must have been the decision of the commanders and the soldiers,” presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said.

Not good for public confidence

Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon emphasized the value of sticking to science in order to build up public confidence on the immunization program of the government.

"Confidence is developed by adhering to a science-based process and the opinion of our vaccine expert panel. The inoculation using vaccines not approved by our FDA will not contribute to [the] need to develop public confidence that the government program will succeed," he said in a separate message.

On the other hand, Senate President Vicente Sotto III said he does not see anything wrong about some soldiers getting unauthorized COVID-19 vaccines, as he believes that these are not government-funded but provided by private donors.

"There is no law that says you cannot take any medicine or vaccine that FDA has not approved," he said.

Asked about the liability of those who administered the unauthorized vaccines, Sotto said: "If that thinking is correct you will have to prosecute all those who administer herbal meds and other types of meds not FDA approved. But then again, what law did they violate? I cannot think of one."

Nevertheless, Sotto said FDA approval is needed if it is the government that will procure and administer the vaccines.

Republic Act 9711 or the “Food and Drug Administration Act of 2009” prohibits the manufacture, importation, exportation, sale, offering for sale, distribution, transfer, promotion, advertising or sponsorship of health products without proper authorization from the FDA.—AOL, GMA News