Former Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has pressed the government for a crackdown against hoarders and profiteers of the COVID-19 drug Tocilizumab to end the fleecing of patients in dire need of the life-saving drug.
“Dapat lang na hulihin ang mga taong ito na nagagawa pang magsamantala sa kapwa sa panahong ito na may pandemya. Mga taong walang kunsiyensiya at baluktot ang pag-iisip lang ang nakakagawa ng ganito.” Marcos said.
Meanwhile, Marcos Jr. defended embattled celebrity host Toni Gonzaga against her online bashers following the broadcast of their one-on-one interview this week.
In an interview with Erwin Tulfo’s radio program on Friday, Marcos said he was surprised at the rabid reaction directed towards Gonzaga despite her reputation as a neutral and professional host.
Also, the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP), which the Commission on Elections (Comelec) accredited on October 5, 2018, concluded on Saturday its national convention as it tried to beat the poll body’s deadline for the holding of such party assembly.
The party convention deferred the election of its chairman, as it was decided through a resolution to reserve the chairmanship to Marcos Jr., who was also endorsed in a unanimous vote as the PFP presidential candidate in the May 9, 2022 elections.
The revitalized party overhauled its leadership during the hybrid virtual convention and elected new officers, while it retained most of its officials. Installed as the PFP executive vice president and general campaign manager for the 2022 national election was lawyer Victor D. Rodriguez, Marcos’ spokesman.
The price of tocilizumab, an anti-inflammatory drug repurposed for use in severe cases of Covid19, has skyrocketed in the past few weeks after the country posted record-breaking coronavirus cases that pushed the demand for said medicine.
In a recent buy-bust arrest made by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), agents found that profiteers sell a vial of Tocilizumab for P97,000. More than four times the maximum retail price of P20,581.
“Ang unang dapat gawin ay bumuo ng isang special task force na binubuo ng mga representatives mula sa PNP, NBI, DTI at DoH upang matutukan ang pagtugis sa mga profiteers,” Marcos added.
Government officials also reported having difficulty replenishing the country’s Tocilizumab inventory as more countries compete with each other to secure their supply of the wonder drug.
“Ang puno’t dulo talaga nito ay ang shortage sa supply ng Tocilizumab. Kung mareresolba ito agad maiiwasan nating mapunta sa desperadong sitwasyon ang mga pasyente at ang kanilang pamilya na napipilitang bilhin ang ubod ng mahal na gamot na ito,” Marcos said.
Meanwhile, the DoH said it is looking for alternative drugs to be used as a substitute for Tocilizumab. They added that some medical facilities have started using Baricitinib as a replacement.
Based on prevailing laws, such as RA 7581 and RA 9502, profiteers who will be successfully prosecuted will face fines ranging from P5,000 to P1,000,000 and jail time ranging from one to 10 years, according to the discretion of the court.