The Palace on Monday said no one had the right to sell COVID-19 vaccines after reports alleged that slots in the government’s inoculation drive were being sold for at least P10,000 in Mandaluyong City.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not authorized the sale of any COVID-19 vaccines yet and anyone found selling them could be prosecuted for violating the law that created the FDA, Palace spokesman Harry Roque said.
Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Benhur Abalos, whose wife Menchie is the mayor of Mandaluyong, warned that those found guilty of selling their slots would be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
“The vaccine is free,” he said in Filipino. “Let’s not muddle this further.”
The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Monday said it has now a "person of interest" in the sale of vaccine brands and vaccination slots.
PNP chief Gen. Guillermo Eleazar said the directors of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) and Anti-Cybercrime Group (ACG) immediately conducted an investigation to identify those behind the scheme.
“Based on the initial result of the investigation, we have already identified at least one person who offered his high school friend two brands of vaccines for a price ranging from P12,000 to P15,500 through a social media messaging app,” Eleazar said in a statement.
He said the same person has been claiming that he has contacts in the cities of San Juan and Mandaluyong, which is why he could easily get vaccines and even guarantee slots for the vaccination and even presented deposit slips as proof of his previous transactions.
“Our CIDG and ACG investigators are now zeroing in on this person, although he has already deactivated all his social media accounts, and we assure the public that he will face the full force of the law for this kind of illegal activity,” Eleazar said.
Eleazar reminded the public that the government's COVID-19 vaccination program is free and that any attempt to engage in selling vaccines or vaccination slots or being the beneficiaries of these illegal Eleazar added the public can report illegal activities through the E-Sumbong platform that includes the PNP's official hotlines (0919-160-1752 and 0917-847-5757), social media accounts, and e-mail address [email protected].
“We assure you of our quick response. Let us work together to put a stop to these criminal practices which are plainly and simply evil and despicable, especially in this time of the pandemic,” he said.
Abalos said the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Cybercrime Division will form a 50-man team to probe the incident.The PNP CIDG will also help in the investigation.
“We are doing this to show the public that we are serious about these things. They are taking advantage of the pandemic. I hope that the culprit will be captured [in] the soonest possible time. If the modus operandi is true, the PNP and NBI would be filing charges against individuals behind the Bakuna for Sale. They could be slapped with estafa or bribery,” Abalos said.
He said those who bought the vaccine slots would also be charged for violating the Bayanihan Act.
On Monday, Abalos visited the NBI office in Quezon City and met Director Eric Distor to ask for the Abalos was accompanied by his wife, the mayor of Mandaluyong City, who earlier revealed the illegal scheme in her city and denied that the city government was selling COVID-19 vaccines or vaccination slots to anyone.
“We strongly condemn this illegal selling of our COVID-19 vaccines.
All of the vaccines, regardless of the brand, are given free to all Mandaleños, and even those living outside Mandaluyong but working in the city are also entitled to free vaccines," Mayor Abalos said.
Mayor Francis Zamora of San Juan, on the other hand, called it a scam and reached out to those who have been victimized by the unlawful scheme.
Zamora said they were aware of the scam but clarified that the San Juan Vaccination Team was not part of it.
“This is a scam to defraud people of money for something that the government is offering for free to its citizens,” he said.
Zamora said San Juan had an online system where qualified citizens could register for vaccination.
In Paranaque City, Mayor Edwin Olivarez told residents that vaccines procured by the national government are not for sale and free for all qualified citizens.
He also announced that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had not approved the marketing or sale of any COVID-19 vaccine, which makes selling or any kind of COVID-19 vaccine illegal.
“We have received reports about some unscrupulous individuals offering COVID-19 vaccines for sale, or assuring slots in vaccination programs of cities in Metro Manila,” Olivarez said.
Citing initial reports, the mayor said the vaccination slots are offered for a price ranging from P10,00 to P15,000 depending on the vaccine brand.
Olivarez said this reported vaccine-for-a-fee scam will be tackled by the Metro Manila Council during this week’s regular meeting.
Olivarez is the current chairman of the MMC, the governing board, and the policy-making body of the MMDA. The council is composed of the 17 mayors in Metro Manila.
Olivarez urged his constituents to report to the local police and mayor’s office those who are engaged in the illegal activity.
Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said he directed NBI officer-in-charge Eric Distor to immediately investigate the vaccines-for-sale scheme following Abalos’s request.