Duterte to talk about Sinopharm vaccine today

DAVAO CITY, Philippines — President Duterte is reportedly set to tackle the controversial issue regarding the Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine administered to members of the Presidential Security Group (PSG) as early as September last year during the weekly meeting of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF).

The President will hold the IATF meeting today in Davao City where he has been home for the holidays.

“The President will once and for all discuss the vaccine issue,” a STAR source said.

The Food and Drug Administration, National Bureau of Investigation, Bureau of Customs, Armed Forces of the Philippines and Department of National Defense each vowed to get to the bottom of how the vaccine, from Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinopharm, was brought into the country without approval from the FDA.

It is a requirement for any vaccine to pass through the process of the FDA before it can be rolled out for use.

This is despite the fact that the Sinopharm vaccine has lately been approved by China for use by its citizens against COVID-19.

While the FDA has not approved any COVID-19 vaccine for use, Duterte revealed at an IATF meeting two weeks ago that “many” Filipinos, including soldiers, have already been inoculated with Sinopharm.

The PSG has confirmed administering vaccines to Duterte’s close-in security aides, saying the President should be protected from all forms of threat “to preserve the stability of our nation.”

Critics claim the vaccination was illegal, citing the FDA law which prohibits the manufacture, importation, exportation, sale, offering for sale, distribution, transfer, non-consumer use, promotion, advertising, or sponsorship of any health product that is not registered with the regulator.

Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon has backed calls to probe the vaccination of PSG personnel, saying the “rule of law must be the rule.”

However, Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo said the vaccination was legally valid and consistent with the PSG’s duty to secure the President.

He said while existing laws provide that any new drug should have authorization from the FDA, the prohibited actions relative to new drugs presuppose that they were “undertaken pursuant to commercial transactions.” Officials previously claimed that the unregistered vaccines were “donated” but declined to identify the source.

“Contrary, therefore, to the insinuation of Senator Frank Drilon and other critics, the rule of law was observed. The PSG’s action, aside from being legally valid, is consistent with, and pursuant to, its duty of securing the life of the President at all cost,” Panelo said in a statement.

“Consciously endangering one’s own life, is not a crime. Instead of being criticized, these sentinels of the President should be commended for putting their lives on the line to protect (Duterte),” he said.

Panelo said the PSG members were vaccinated without the use of public funds so the issue is not a matter of who should have received the vaccine first. He claimed that the inoculation was not government-sanctioned, and PSG members acted on their own initiative.

He said individuals who use their own resources to secure unregistered vaccines do so at their own risk.

Leni backs probe

Vice President Leni Robredo on Sunday backed any investigation into the inoculation of the PSG.

“It should be investigated to send a message that we do not tolerate this. If we don’t, we will encourage people to commit mistakes as there are no sanctions anyway,” Robredo said in her weekly program over dzXL.

“I hope they (PSG) will be transparent, and take full responsibility for their mistakes. There should be no cover-up as we need to focus on more important things,” she said.

Robredo added it was the IATF which announced that health workers should be the first to receive the vaccines once available in the country.

Durante told: Quit

Sen. Richard Gordon said yesterday that PSG chief Brig. Gen. Jesus Durante III must step down, and tell all in connection with his “criminal act” of soliciting unregistered COVID-19 vaccines. – Jennifer Rendon, Helen Flores, Paolo Romero, Alexis Romero, Elizabeth Marcelo