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MANILA, Philippines – Senator Panfilo Lacson is not in favor of shifting the focus of the Senate investigation into COVID-19 vaccination to the controversy involving the Presidential Security Group (PSG) inoculation with an unregistered coronavirus vaccine , and says the focus should be on why the country has yet to approve any COVID-19 vaccines.
Lacson, who has deflected questions about whether he had received a COVID-19 vaccine himself, said he found it “terrible” that the Senate wants to focus on PSG staff who had agreed to be inoculated with an unregistered Chinese vaccine. at the hearing scheduled for January 11.
“It’s terrible that the Senate audience wants to focus on investigating PSG staff who allowed themselves to be inoculated rather than asking why we don’t have vaccines yet, unlike many other countries,” Lacson said in a tweet.
“Let’s ask again: who dropped the ball?” added the senator.
Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon previously said PSG chief Brig. General Jesús During III, must be cited in the Senate hearing to explain the controversial early inoculation among the guards of President Rodrigo Duterte using the unregistered COVID-19 vaccine.
But the Palace questioned the Senate’s alleged interference in Duterte’s security matters.
In his weekly briefing Monday night, Duterte sternly warned Congress not to “tweak” on the PSG issue. The president also warned lawmakers against citing PSG staff in contempt for ignoring the investigation.
Senate President Vicente Sotto III has said that the upper house investigation will focus on the national government’s COVID-19 vaccination program.
Any other off-topic issues, including the PSG controversy, can be addressed in a separate hearing, Sotto said.
EDV
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