Philippines yet to receive purchased vaccines, Duterte admits

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines has yet to receive the COVID-19 vaccines it purchased, President Duterte said, as he admitted that only the donated pandemic shots have been delivered.

“To my friends, just to refresh your memory, every time we meet here... I’ve stressed the point that the vaccines that arrived were donations by the WHO (World Health Organization) and China. We do not have a vaccine yet,” Duterte said during a pre-recorded public address last Wednesday.

“You said, ‘where is the vaccine? Where are the vaccines that we bought?’ None. They have not yet arrived. If ever, maybe next week then that would be the time we will notify you,” Duterte said in response to some senators questioning the delayed delivery of COVID-19 shots despite the P126-billion allocation for their purchase.

Not through  Customs

Based on the initial report of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), COVID-19 vaccines smuggled into the country last year did not pass through the Bureau of Customs (BOC), Justice Secretary Guevarra said yesterday.

“One thing I noted in the initial NBI report: no findings that the early COVID-19 vaccines went through the Customs area. They might have been brought in in convenient packages,” said Guevarra, who said private planes may have been used to transport the vaccines.

There was an uproar late last year over reports that Presidential Security Group personnel assigned to President Duterte received Sinopharm vaccines without Food and Drug Administration clearance. Last February, the FDA granted the PSG a “compassionate” license for the use of 10,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines.

400,000 Sinovac doses cleared

Customs announced yesterday that it cleared for release 400,000 doses of Sinovac vaccines, which arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) on Wednesday.

The delivery was the second batch of donations from China, while the first 600,000 doses arrived last Feb. 28. Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, Chinese Ambassador Huang Xilian, testing czar Secretary Vince Dizon and Senate committee on health chair Bong Go witnessed the arrival ceremony.

Bad idea

Replacing members of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases while the government is still implementing the third phase of the national action plan is a “bad idea,” special adviser Dr. Ted Herbosa said yesterday.

“Changing the driver or a pilot of a plane while in midair may not be a good idea because you don’t know how the replacement will do better,” Herbosa said, explaining the case of Brazil, which replaced their health minister at least four times last year and became the second most affected country by the pandemic.

Advocates of Science and Technology for the People (AGHAM) urged the government to overhaul the IATF, currently led by Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, presidential adviser Carlito Galvez Jr. and Interior Secretary Eduardo Año on leave – all retired military generals.

The group said the IATF should be replaced with “competent people with medical and scientific backgrounds,” adding the “militaristic” task force has not flattened the curve even with the vaccine rollout. – Evelyn Macairan, Czeriza Valencia, Neil Jayson Servallos