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Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon. Screenshot / file photo of the Senate PRIB
MANILA, Philippines – The head of the Presidential Security Group (PSG) should be cited in the Senate investigation into the government’s vaccination plan to explain the controversial early inoculation among President Rodrigo Duterte’s guards, said the minority leader of the Senate, Franklin Drilon.
“In my opinion, the PSG commander should be called in and should appear in the investigation of the Committee of the Whole to shed light on this issue,” Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon said in a message to reporters Thursday.
The Senate is set to hold a Committee of the Whole hearing on the government’s vaccination plan.
Drilon previously criticized vaccination among some PSG members against COVID-19 as regulators have yet to authorize a vaccine for use in the country.
The senator also believes that there is an alleged attempt to cover up details about the controversial vaccination and that some officials are “blatantly lying in an attempt to protect those primarily involved in the illegal shipment of unauthorized vaccines in the country. “
While it has not yet been confirmed which brand of vaccine was given to these personalities, the president said in a speech Saturday that many Filipinos, including soldiers, have already received the COVID-19 vaccine from China’s Sinopharm vaccine.
The Secretary of Justice, Menardo Guevarra, ordered the National Investigation Office (NBI) to investigate the use of a vaccine not yet registered to inoculate presidential guards against COVID-19, as it could have violated several laws.
Despite fierce criticism from legislators and various groups, Malacañang said there was no violation of the anti-bribery law when PSG received the vaccines because these were only “tokens” and no public funds were used for it.
However, neither Malacañang nor PSG revealed where the vaccines came from, but said they were “donated.”
The Palace defended the early inoculation of the president’s security personnel by also insisting that he was not against being inoculated with a COVID-19 vaccine that has not been registered with regulators.
“I support the order of the Sec de Justicia. Guevarra for the NBI to investigate unauthorized inoculations against COVID-19 using unregistered vaccines. The laws appear to have been violated, ”Drilon said.
“The DOJ and the NBI are required by law to investigate. No one is above the law. The rule of law should be the rule, rather than an exception ”, he added.
JPV
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