Senator Leila De Lima filed a resolution seeking a Senate investigation on the “early” COVID-19 vaccination of some members of Duterte’s Presidential Security Group (PSG).
The detained senator wanted a probe despite Duterte’s order to his PSG to “shut up” if they would be summoned by the Congress or the Senate.
“The officials so inoculated must reveal all the information that they have on the unregistered vaccines if only to protect our country against forces seeking to influence the highest office in our land to the detriment of our people,” De Lima said in Senate Resolution 603.
“Withholding of information on this matter during any investigation serves only to protect criminals who smuggled and are probably still smuggling these illegal vaccines into our country,” she added.
The Senate Committee of the Whole will have a hearing on the government’s COVID-19 immunization plan on Monday.
However, Senate President Vicente Sotto III maintained that the PSG won’t be summoned on the scheduled January 11 hearing.
“Bakit hindi niya papayagan? Pinapatawag ko ba? Last time I heard, ako [ang] chairman. Bakit iniiba ang topic ng hearing ko which is the roadmap of the P72.5B for vaccines?” Sotto said in a message to reporters.
De Lima wants probe on PSG COVID-19 vaccination
“Who in heaven’s name told him I’m calling for the PSG? I think the President is being misled,” he added.
Duterte previously said some military members already received the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Chinese firm Sinopharm, even without the approval of the Philippines’ Food and Drug Administration.
Presidential Security Group (PSG) commander Brigadier General Jesus Durante III admitted the vaccines were donated but refused to disclose further details.
However, a group claiming to be the only distributor of Sinopharm’s COVID-19 vaccine in the country has denied involvement in the vaccination of the PSG.
“It must be ascertained who smuggled the vaccine and who distributed them to the said public officials and how they were able to do so outside government regulations,” De Lima said.
Aside from the PSG, it was also reported that 100,000 Chinese nationals working in POGOs already received COVID-19 vaccines.