Government officials may walk out from the Senate inquiry on the vaccination program if they are disrespected by the probing lawmakers, according to Presidential spokesman Harry Roque.

Roque said President Duterte continued to allow officials like vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. to attend the Senate hearing but would not tolerate any rude or abusive comments from lawmakers towards the invited officials.

The Senate Committee of the Whole recently initiated an inquiry into the government's vaccination program, grilling concerned officials about the procurement of supplies and price differences. 

"Nakikipag-cooperate po ang executive at ang sabi nga ng Presidente ay patuloy pa ring mag-a-attend ang ating mga Kalihim doon sa mga pagdinig ng Senado, sagutin ang kanilang mga tanong, pero kung binabastos sila, mag-walk out (The executive will cooperate and the President said the Secretaries can continue to attend the Senate hearing, answer their questions, But if they are disrespected, they should walk out)," Roque said during a televised briefing Tuesday.

If any government official is cited in contempt and detained, Roque added the President would go to the Senate and fetch the person.

The Palace official further shed light on the President's guidance to officials attending the Senate inquiry on the vaccination program during an interview over CNN Wednesday.

Roque asserted that the attendance of the concerned officials in the Senate inquiry shows that the government has "nothing to hide.”

"But certainly, if they start being abusive, just walk out,'” Roque added.

He said the President could not understand why some senators were “apparently bellicose-like” or “war-like” during the inquiry on the vaccination program.

"There was an attitude as if there was corruption going on when it was fact-finding in fact. So, the President thought, you know, despite the separation of powers, despite the power of oversight, it does not give license to the senators to be abusive,” he said.

Roque said Galvez initially asked the President if he could skip the hearing so he can attend to the negotiations of the vaccine procurement.

Galvez claimed that he had lost "two weeks worth of negotiations" with the suppliers since he had to attend the inquiry.  

The President, however, told Galvez to continue to appear before the Senate inquiry, according to Roque.

"In fairness to the President, his answer was 'Go to the Senate, continue answering questions, continue with the manner you have been answering.

If they become abusive to you verbally, just stand up and leave. If they cite you in contempt, I will come and fetch you.' So that's the context," Roque said.

He said Galvez and Health Secretary Francisco Duque III will attend the Senate hearing this Friday "but with instruction that if anyone is verbally abusive to them, they have the license to stand up and leave.”

The President had earlier expressed dismay with some senators critical of the government's purchase of Chinese-made vaccines.

He even offered to buy Pfizer vaccines for the senators but reminded them about the deaths of elderly people in Norway after receiving the shots.