House Deputy Minority leader and Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate on Wednesday, February 24 said the long-overdue probe into the unauthorized COVID-19 vaccination of military personnel and top government officials must now start.
Zarate aired this demand after newspaper columnist Ramon Tulfo “confessed” to the truth behind allegations that anti-COVID-19 vaccines manufactured by China-run Sinopharm were administered to some members of the Presidential Security Group were joined by select members of the executive and legislative departments.
In his column n Manila Times, Tulfo, appointed by President Duterte as special envoy to China, said he “risked his life” for a Sinopharm jab because he was also applying to be a local distributor of its vaccine.
Tulfo said that aside from himself, also inoculated sometime October, 2020 were “some government officials” and “members” of the PSG whose names he refused to reveal.
The vaccination happened even before COVID-19 vaccines could be authorized for use in the country. The Food and Drugs Administration made this clear when the incident became a public knowledge and drew criticisms against the Duterte government.
Critics said the advance vaccination of government men apparently close to President Duterte has been set infront of the backdrop of delayed implementation of the National Vaccination Program.
Zarate, together with members of the Makabayan bloc, filed House Resolution No. 1451 calling for a congressional inquiry into the incident.
However, since its filing early January, HB 1451 has yet to be referred by the Committee on Rules to a legislative committee for action. The rules panel is composed of the top leadership of the Lower House.
"The House should start the probe now as it appears that it is not only the Presidential Security Group (PSG) that has undergone VIP vaccinations but other governement officials as well using smuggled vaccines, based on Mon Tulfo's confession," said the progressive solon.
"We filed House Resolution 1451 to look into this issue early this year but it still has to be calendared for hearing. Investigating this anomaly would also put to rest rumors that even Cabinet members and members of Congress were also among those already inoculated along with Mon Tulfo," Zarate said.
Together with other members of the Makabayan bloc in the Lower House, Zarate is convinced that President Duterte had knowledge of the vaccination.
"VIP testing and vaccination will not help in gaining confidence of our people in the program and it also undermines the prioritization that was previously laid down by the DOH,”said Zarate.