Health Secretary Francisco Duque III says the Food and Drug Administration and the Bureau of Customs will jointly investigate the entry of unregistered COVID-19 vaccines in the country, which were given to members of the Presidential Security Group.
FILE: President Rodrigo Roa Duterte in Malacañang Palace on December 26,2020 ALFRED FRIAS/ PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO
MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte’s close-in security took “courageous step” to receive vaccines to protect him from the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), Presidential Security Group (PSG) Chief Col. Jesus Durante III said Monday.
“With the current pandemic, PSG needs to ensure that they are not themselves threat to the President’s health and safety. As such the PSG administered Covid-19 vaccine to its personnel performing close-in security operations to the President,” Durante said in a statement.
Duterte, in a speech last Saturday, said that some Filipinos, including members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), received the Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinopharm’s Covid-19 vaccine.
MANILA: Members of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s security team have received a Chinese-made coronavirus vaccine, officials said on Monday the first people in the country to be.
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque (OPS / MANILA BULLETIN)
In a televised press briefing, Roque explained that the law prohibiting public officials and workers not to solicit or accept gift or anything of monetary value was “not absolute.”
“Ako po ay abogado. Hindi po ‘yan absolute. ‘Yung mga tokens pinapayagan naman lalo na kung panahon ng Pasko. Puwede pong tokens, ‘yung mga wala masyadong halaga ibig sabihin (I am a lawyer. That is not absolute. The tokens are allowed especially during Christmas. Tokens or those with small value are allowed),” Roque said during a televised press briefing.
Roque was reacting to queries if there was any breach of the anti-graft law in accepting COVID-19 vaccines donated to the President’s security team.