Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 25) — President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday said it is difficult to say whether some mayors should be held liable for getting inoculated against COVID-19 by skipping the vaccine line.
This was after some mayors defended their move by saying it was done to allay vaccination fears.
“Ang sabi nila, ang rason nila, I think that’s a universal excuse, na para ‘di matakot ‘yung constituents. Ako, medyo gray area ‘yan,” the President said in his late night address to the nation. “Dapat talaga ang una…whether or not they jump the COVID-19 line of vaccination would require a certain amount of legal study.”
[Translation: According to them, and I think that’s a universal excuse, they got inoculated in order to lay their constituents’ fears to rest. Personally, that’s somewhat a gray area. What really should be done first…whether or not they jump the COVID-19 vaccine of vaccination would require a certain amount of legal study.]
Duterte named nine local chief executives who received the shot despite not being healthcare workers:
– Mayor Alfred Romualdez of Tacloban City, Leyte
– Mayor Dibu Tuan of T’boli, South Cotabato
– Mayor Sulpicio Villalobos of Sto Niño, South Cotabato
– Mayor Noel Rosal of Legazpi City, Albay
– Mayor Abraham Ibba of Bataraza, Palawan
– Mayor Elanito Peña of Minglanilla, Cebu
– Mayor Victoriano Torres of Alicia, Bohol
– Mayor Virgilio Mendez of San Miguel, Bohol
– Mayor Arturo Piollo II of Lila, Bohol
The first five were already slapped with a show cause order by the Department of the Interior and Local Government.
READ: Some Visayas mayors not on priority list get vaccinated against COVID-19
Duterte said more people were listed, but he refused to disclose their names. Among them, he said, is a son of an actor who was vaccinated in Parañaque City.
“Ang balita ko naibigay sa mga anak ng mga artista at iba pa. The favored few,” he said.
[Translation: I’ve heard vaccines were also given to children of actors, among others. The favored few.]
The President could be referring to actor Mark Anthony Fernandez, whose parents Rudy Fernandez and Alma Moreno are also actors. Fernandez already got the COVID-19 vaccine, but Parañaque City Mayor Edwin Olivarez was quick to clarify he didn’t cut the line. The mayor said Fernandez was part of the substitution list and is second in priority since he has a comorbidity.
Duterte stressed the need to follow the priority framework as doing otherwise could jeopardize the country’s future vaccine supply. The World Health Organization has warned the country can risk losing millions of doses from COVAX if it fails to comply with the required allocation of the scarce vaccines to medical frontliners.
“Ito ‘yung kinakatakutan ko noon [That’s what I feared before],” he also said. “I remember well admonishing everybody that the priority sa pagbibigay ng bakuna ay ito ang masusunod [in vaccine distribution should be followed].”
Duterte wants the Department of Health to lead the investigation into the matter, but Health Secretary Francisco Duque III reminded it is also under the jurisdiction of the DILG.
“The ultimate persons responsible for this are the health workers, city health workers, provincial health workers. Empleyado mo ito eh [These are your employees],” Duterte told Duque. “To make the long story short, mag-execute nalang ng [just execute an] affidavit, and why resort to the investigation and then send it to the Ombudsman.”
The Health chief also made the appeal to Filipinos to await their turn, noting that only around 30% of the required doses to immunize all 1.7 million healthcare workers in the country have so far arrived.
“Kulang na kulang talaga sa bakuna ngayon. Kailangan masunod ang priority listing para maayos ang ating bakunahan,” he said.
[Translation: We’re currently really lacking vaccine supply. The priority listing should be followed to ensure a smooth vaccination program.]
