Mon Tulfo willing to go to jail over Sinopharm vaccination

Former Special Envoy to China and The Manila Times columnist Ramon Tulfo on Wednesday said he is willing to face any investigation and even go to jail over his Sinophram vaccination against COVID-19 last year.

“Sige po! Oo. Ok. Pero imbestigahan din nila yung mga opisyal na nabakunahan. Kung magaling sila, alam na nila kung sino yung mga yon,” Tulfo told GMA News.

Asked if he would identify under oath the government officials he claimed to have also been vaccinated, he replied:  “Hindi, hindi, hindi. I’m sorry. Bahala na. Kung mangyari, I’m willing to go to jail.”

Tulfo said he got vaccinated in October last year.

Until now, the Food and Drug Administration has not approved the commercial distribution of any COVID vaccine, nor an Emergency Use Authorization for the Sinopharm vaccine.

What Malacañang announced on February 11 was that the FDA granted Sinopharm compassionate use of its vaccines for the Presidential Security Group, long after it was first revealed by President Rodrigo Duterte that some members of the PSG had been vaccinated since last year.

When asked if he knew the vaccination was illegal, Tulfo replied, “Alam ko. Dahil smuggled din yon eh.”

Tulfo said he decided to get vaccinated in order to see if the vaccine was indeed effective against COVID-19 as he was applying to be its distributor in the Philippines.

“Kaya ako nagpabakuna, not because i wanted to be a hero. Gusto ko mauna kasi kung may nangyari sa akin, di ko ipagpapatuloy dahil nag-aapply kasi ako na maging distributor dito sa Pilipinas,” Tulfo said.

When asked if he felt any side effects after getting vaccinated, Tulfo replied, “Wala. Beneficial nga. Walang adverse side effect.”

‘Appointment had expired’

Tulfo also clarified that when he got vaccinated, his appointment as Special Envoy to China had already expired.

“Kasi ang Special Envoy to China,  ang appointment niyan is good for six months each time. Last year, di ko nai-renew yung appointment ko because of the pandemic. So technically, my appointment as special envoy had expired when I had that vaccination,” he explained.

And because he is no longer a government official, Tulfo maintained there was no conflict on interest on his part when he applied to be the distributor of the Chinese vaccine.

The Food and Drug Administration and the National Bureau of Investigation have are currently investigating the Sinopharm vaccination issue.

“The NBI has an ongoing investigation on the alleged importation, entry, sale, and administration of unregistered COVID19 vaccines in the underground market. I will leave it to the NBI to determine if it’s necessary or relevant to invite Ramon Tulfo to shed light on the matter,” Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said. 

Meanwhile, the Department of Health said investigation would cover Tulfo.  — RSJ, GMA News