Opposition Senator Risa Hontiveros on Tuesday pressed the Senate to investigate an alleged black market of vaccines that had no approval for public use to contain the deadly coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

‘’I respect the decision of the Senate President, as Chair of the Senate CoW (Committee of the Whole), but I feel that it is our duty to get to the bottom of this,’’ Hontiveros said.

Senate President Vicente C. Sotto had said the COW would not call Brigadier General Jesus Durante, commander of the Presidential Security Group), whose members allegedly allowed themselves to be injected with ‘’illegal, unauthorized’’ COVID-19 vaccine.

President Duterte himself said that he would not allow PSG soldiers to go to Senate when the COW starts its initial hearing on January 11.

Hontiveros maintained said it is government's responsibility to crack down this COVID-19 vaccine black market.

‘’Whether it's the PSG, the POGO (Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator) workers or any member of the public, the use of unregulated vaccine is unlawful. Illegal at delikado. We can't allow EO 464 to be used too broadly at the expense of public health,’’ she stressed.

Some 100,000 Chinese POGO workers were reported to have been vaccinated illegally.

‘’COVID-19 is the most real threat in this pandemic. Ang illegal vaccine contraband na ito ay banta sa buhay ng(that is a threat to the life of a) Pilipino at magpapabagal lang sa (we have a very slow) pandemic response natin. An unsafe and unauthorized vaccine could make this pandemic worse than it already is. Whoever is involved in this black market should be put behind bars,’’ she pointed out.

‘’Kailangan natin protektahan ang integridad ng mga regulating agencies natin. The BoC and the FDA should be put on high alert for vaccine smuggling. It is the responsibility of Health Sec. Duque to mobilize the agencies under him to guard against and put an end to this vaccine black market,’’ she said. (We need to protect the integrity of our regulating agencies.)

‘’If as early as now the government cannot control unverified and possibly life-threatening vaccines from entering the market, people’s trust in any COVID-19 vaccine, even if officially distributed, will only go down.’’ she added.

Hontiveros said an OCTA report showed that 75 percent of Metro Manila residents do not want to be vaccinated.

‘’Aanhin pa natin ang bakuna kung walang may gusto magpabakuna? At kung kaunti lang ang magpapabakuna, di natin makakamit ang herd immunity, at wala ding silbi ang vaccination plan natin,’’ she said. (What is there to do when no one wants to be vaccinated. We cannot get a herd immunity. The vaccination plan will be useless.)