Palace spokesperson Harry Roque said Friday that they had not received reports of Chinese national vaccinated against COVID-19.
“Wala po kaming nalalaman tunkol dito sa mga Chinese nationals na na-vaccinate,” said Palace spokesman Harry Roque.
“Posible naman po, baka mga Filipino-Chinese ‘yan,” he said in a televised public briefing.
(We do not know anything about these Chinese nationals who were vaccinated. It’s possible. Maybe these are Filipino-Chinese.)
The Department of Health said they are looking into reports of vaccinated Chinese.
Some Chinese nationals in priority groups have been vaccinated under the COVID-19 vaccination program in Pasay City, Pasay City Mayor Emi Calixto-Rubiano said Wednesday.
In a media statement, Calixto-Rubiano said the vaccinated Chinese are legitimate residents of Pasay City and belong to the priority categories of senior citizens (A2) or persons with comorbidities (A3).
He said they went through the appropriate process to show a barangay certificate and medical certificate to receive the vaccine.
Vaccinated Chinese nationals in PH not yet reported to Palace: Roque
The mayor also ensured that the documents of the vaccinated foreigners were thoroughly checked and even underwent interviews at vaccination sites.
“These individuals, like all the other people who got vaccinated, passed through the normal process, and during their registration, they submitted their Barangay Certificates and Medical Certificates indicating that they were residents of the city and they belonged to either the A2 or A3 groups,” the mayor said.
According to information from the Public Information Office in Pasay, some vaccinated foreigners are businessmen who are members of the Pasay City Chinese Chamber of Commerce, and others work in the city.
On the other hand, Calixto-Rubiano denied that there was VIP treatment for Chinese in vaccination following a post on social media that some Chinese allegedly received the vaccine at vaccination sites in Pasay even though they were not part of the government’s priority group.
Meanwhile, the inter-agency task force against COVID-19 has not established guidelines for the vaccination of expatriates in the Philippines.
“Siguro po darating ‘yan dahil darating na rin ‘yong bulto ng ating supply,” Roque said.
“Pero ngayon pong kulang ang supply, pina-prioritize po natin iyong A1, A2, A3,” he added.
Visit our Facebook page for more news updates.