Duterte tells public not to buy meds from online, fly-by-night sellers

President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday advised the public not to purchase COVID-19 medicines from fly-by-night stores and online sellers, adding that these unauthorized retailers may be selling counterfeit medicines against the virus.

"Mga kababayan ko, 'wag kayo bumili ng medisina for use against COVID-19. 'Wag kayong bumili ng medisina di lang sa sari-sari store, yung mga fly-by-night na bukas lang pero walang masyadong pinagbibili," he said during his Talk to the People.

Meanwhile,  Philippine Food and Drug Administration officer-in-charge Oscar Gutierrez also warned the public against buying medicine from illegal online stores, sari-sari stores and other  drug outlets that are not FDA-licensed.

"Sa ngayon po never buy medicines from sari-sari stores, diyan po maraming fake. Medicines should be sourced from FDA-licensed establishments only," said Gutierrez who is also present during the pre-recorded public address.

He added that the public should not buy from stores that do not issue official receipts.

Only FDA-licensed drug outlets who have permits "may receive online ordering of medicine and delivering of medicine," Gutierrez also said.

At one point, Duterte advised law enforcers to inject or give the counterfeit medicine to the arrested sellers.

"Yyung mga droga na nakuha mo sa kanila, you keep it for the courts' intervention. You preserve the ika nga the body of the crime... Ngayon kapag masyadong marami na ang suggestion ko doon sa NBI pati sa CIDG, sabihin mo sa kanila na yung kalahati ng nakuhang confiscated, ipa-inom mo. Dahan dahan," said the 76-year-old leader.

"Really, ipainom mo lahat kung viagra, marami. Ipainom mo sampung viagra kayo," he added.

He said he will take the blame if one of the suspects were killed after consuming the fake drug.

"Kayong mga sa gobyerno 'pag nahuli ninyo sila na peke, tignan natin kung totoo o hindi. Ang mabuti niyan, you can discern. Ipainom mo, inject mo sa kanila para malaman natin well kung mamatay eh di sorry, kung magtanong sila kung sino nag-utos nito, sabihin mo si Duterte. Para kayong. Pagako nakahuli sa inyo, yan ang gawin ko ipainom ko sa inyo, iinjection ko sa katawan ninyo," said Duterte.

"Kung mamatay ka, magkasakit ka, problema mo yan. Wag mo akong balikan sa problema na ginawa mo," he added.

Duterte said he will confess that he was the one who ordered that the fake medicines will be given to the bogus drug sellers, adding that he is willing to add this case to the International Criminal Court.

"'Yung mga fake na injectable, kunin mo yun, buksan mo at sabihin mo doon sa CIDG o NBI na sayang man rin maski na fake, papakinabangan, ipainom mo sa mga p***** ina, sabihin mo kung sino nagutos, sabihin mo ako. Para pandagdag doon sa ICC," said Duterte, who is facing a pending investigation before the ICC in connection with the bloody drug war.

Data from the FDA showed that 21 out of 926 drug outlets nationwide were suspected to be offering medicines and diagnostic kits that could be fake. A total of P27,364,600 worth of fake medicines were also seized during the NBI operations since 2018.—LDF, GMA News