Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., chief implementer of the National Task Force (NTF) Against COVID-19, on Monday took a swipe at former NTF special adviser Dr. Tony Leachon after the later questioned the government's supposed inclination towards a COVID-19 vaccine being developed by China.

In a Laging Handa press briefing, Galvez appeared to have suggested that Leachon was not a team player after describing the health expert as a "loner."

"Sa NTF nagkasama po kami, mahirap po siyang kasama. May sariling mundo (We'd been together in the NTF and it was difficult to work with him. He has his own world)," said Galvez who flashed a poker face after his comment elicited a laughter from Secretary Harry Roque.

Leachon quit from his post as the special adviser of the NTF back in June after his vocal criticisms of the Department of Health's strategies in dealing with the pandemic earned the ire of top government officials.

But Leachon's departure from the NTF did not stop him from criticizing the government on its handling of the health crisis.

His latest tirade was a tweet that he posted on Monday morning which read: "Isn't it disturbing that the government is still prioritizing the vaccines for which are not enough safety and efficacy data? Perhaps we need to know the matrix or guidelines on their priority list. Transparency is key. Safety is paramount."

Leachon then re-tweeted a news update about the government's plan to secure 25 million doses of China's COVID-19 vaccine Sinovac by 2021, and put the same caption.

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque refused to answer Leachon's question and went personal, saying that the former special adviser was the subject of President Duterte's anger due to his comments on how the government does its work.

Roque said he was forced to edit out the clips where Duterte was cussing Leachon for his criticisms about the government's COVID-19 response during the President's "Talk to the Nation" addresses in the past months.

But Roque said that because of Leachon's recent remarks, he will no longer ask the government-run PTV network and RTV-Malacanang to edit out the clips should Duterte swears on Leachon in his next public address.

Galvez agreed with Roque as he said that Leachon's comments and intentions are "questionable."

To back the efficacy of Sinovac, Galvez said that the China-made vaccine already passed the initial review made by the government's Vaccine Expert Panel (VEP).

He said Sinovac has also conducted Phase 3 clinical trials in different countries including Indonesia, Brazil, and Turkey, among others. 

The Phase 3 clinical trials involve the inoculation of the candidate vaccine to a large number of people to test its safety and efficacy.

Galvez expressed confidence on the Sinovac vaccine as he noted that Indonesia has already approved its use for the general public and will be rolling out the vaccine in their country this week or next week.