Hontiveros: Gov't must answer unauthorized vaccination of top officials, soldiers
Government-sanctioned black market 'intolerable', senator says

Senator Risa Hontiveros on Tuesday said government must answer all questions regarding the unauthorized vaccination of top officials and soldiers, saying a black market for COVID-19 vaccines 'should not be tolerated in any way'.

The statement comes after top Malacanang officials and members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) were reportedly vaccinated by Chinese pharmaceutical company SinoPharmaceuticals (Sinopharm) despite the lack of authority from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

"This was unsafe and illegal. These vaccines were clearly smuggled through a black market, and even worse, seem to be sanctioned by the government. Ang taumbayan ba ang nagbayad para sa ilegal na vaccination na ito? This is another whiff of corruption," Hontiveros said.

"Ano ang kwento sa likod ng 'secret vaccination' na ito? Sino ang pasimuno at sino ang supplier? Kung hindi si Presidente Duterte ang nagutos sa mga miyembro ng AFP na magpaturok ng unauthorized at hindi sigurado na bakuna mula China, sino sa Malacanang ang promotor ng iligal at iresponsableng aksyong ito?," Hontiveros said. "This is a major risk to the public's health. Not only is it possible that the vaccine is unsafe, but it also might not even be effective in the first place. They might become confident, freely walking COVID superspreaders. Nilagay din sa panganib ang mga sundalo natin."

Hontiveros asked the National Taskforce against COVID-19 (NTF) to provide a transparency report which she said is 'crucial' for preventing a waste of funds or even corruption. She added that it would also give peace of mind to the public whose fear of using vaccines remains high. The transparency report should "reflect the decisions of the NTF every step of the way", she said.

"The vaccination plan clearly says that the first step is to locally approve the vaccines, which with Sinopharm we didn't. On top of this, we promised that we would vaccinate our healthcare workers, who put their lives on the line everyday, first, which we also didn't. Ano na ba ang nangyayari sa plano natin?," she asked.

Hontiveros reminded government that safety should be first priority in procurement of the vaccine. She added that the report would be a major declaration of accountability to the public. "If the vaccine is unsafe, who will be held accountable? There are major life-threatening consequences in any lapse in this mass vaccination program. Kung may magkulang o gumawa ng kalokohan, dapat managot," she said.

The senator had earlier revealed that The Procurement Service of the Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM) had procured overpriced personal protective equipment (PPEs) by at least P 1 billion. "Wag natin sanayin na may kumikita o may nagsasayang ng pera sa pandemyang ito kung saan maraming Pilipino ang nagdudurusa. Dahil milyong bakuna ang bibilhin, ang isang dolyar na patong ay katumbas ng bilyong pisong pera ng bayan," she said,

"Ang daming tanong ang taumbayan. Paano magtitiwala ang publiko sa pamahalaan kung ang mga high ranking officials mismo ay hindi sumusunod sa mga protocol? At lalo na kung hindi malinaw sa paggamit natin ng bilyon-bilyon nilang pera. Ang gobyerno ang laging dapat maging ehemplo," she concluded.