Did they or did they not?
This has become a disturbing question in official circles after President Rodrigo Duterte’s disclosure that some soldiers had been inoculated with China’s Sinopharm vaccine against COVID-19, sending officials wanting to know who got vaccinated and how despite the lack of regulatory approval.
Interior Secretary Eduardo Año himself said some Cabinet members had also received jabs of a vaccine that had allegedly been granted emergency use authorization (EUA), but stopped short of identifying them.
The Food and Drug Administration maintained it had not yet issued EUA to any COVID-19 vaccine.
The Department of Health vowed to look into the unauthorized vaccination of certain individuals, including members of the military.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines confirmed members of the Presidential Security Group were the first to be vaccinated against COVID-19 “owing to the nature of their mission and function.”
But Malacañang denied that Duterte approved the vaccinations although Army chief Lt. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana said the order was “from the chain of command of the Armed Forces” headed by the Commander in Chief. – which would be Duterte himself.
The reports Monday followed a weekend televised meeting where Duterte asked Food and Drug Administration Director General Eric Domingo about the possible side effect of receiving COVID-19 vaccines from 2 different makers.
At a news conference, Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said Duterte had asked if he could get multiple COVID-19 vaccines.
Duterte had said “I have a problem now. For example, can I be vaccinated again when Pfizer's vaccine arrives?” – prompting the question “Has President Duterte been inoculated against COVID-19, even though local regulators have not yet approved a vaccine for this?”
Asked on Monday if the President had gotten a vaccine jab, Roque said, "I don't think so. Perhaps I've heard that from the President for four times. He always asks, 'If I'm vaccinated now, can I be vaccinated again later on?'”
"I think that's just another instance wherein he raised what he has repeatedly asked.”
But Roque said, "I have no personal information, personal knowledge if he has been vaccinated or not."
Interior Secretary Eduardo Año himself said the President had not yet been vaccinated against COVID-19.
In a radio interview, Año said Duterte, 75, wanted to be inoculated against COVID-19 but his doctors thumbed down the thought as there were no vaccines yet approved by the FDA.
Duterte, in the same televised meeting, said some soldiers had been vaccinated against COVID-19.
He also threatened to scrap a defense deal – the Visiting Forces Agreement or VFA– with the US if it fails to share its COVID-19 vaccine supply with the Philippines.
The VFA is an agreement between the two countries in support of their Mutual Defense Treaty which was established in 1951 between Manila and Washington to provide mutual support in case of foreign attack.
The two countries signed the VFA which in 1998 provides simplified access procedures to the Philippines for U.S. service members on official business (for example, U.S.-Philippines bilateral training or military exercises), and it provides a series of procedures for how to resolve issues that may come up as a result of U.S. forces being present in the Philippines.
There has been no response from the US Embassy in Manila.
Meanwhile, the Food and Drug Administration said it had yet to approve any COVID-19 vaccine for local use.
"There is currently no registered vaccine for use against COVID-19. Selling of unregistered vaccines is prohibited," it said on its website.
"These products have not gone through the registration process of the FDA and have not been issued with proper authorization. The agency cannot guarantee their quality, safety, and efficacy," added the regulator.