VIP VACCINATION | CHR hits public officials for ‘selfish’ act of violating priority list of COVID-19 shots

March 25, 2021 , 02:45 PM

(March 25, 2021) – Public officials and personalities who took shots against COVID-19 ahead of healthcare workers deprived the vulnerable population of protection from the fatal disease, the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) said on Thursday, raising the possibility that such acts could jeopardize the country’s agreement with the World Health Organization (WHO).

CHR spokesperson Jacqueline De Guia criticized people who ignored the government’s COVID-19 vaccine priority list after recent reports revealed that local chief executives and celebrities already took doses. De Guia called the situation “concerning.”

“As it stands, the Philippines has a limited number of vaccines allocated for medical frontliners,” said De Guia. “Individuals excluded from the priority list that jump the vaccination queue selfishly deprive healthcare workers of much-need vaccines and jeopardizes succeeding, agreed upon, free vaccine allocations from the COVAX Facility, which calls for the priority inoculation of agreed-upon groups.”

Some 1.7 million healthcare workers are considered the top priority in the country, but the current stockpile of about 1.5 million COVID-19 doses is insufficient to cover them all. More than 500,000 doses were coursed through the COVAX Facility, forming part of the 44 million jabs the Philippines would be eligible to receive from the vaccine-sharing initiative of WHO.

Despite the limited supply, at least nine mayors and one actor blatantly ignored the government’s priority list by skipping the line and taking the shots ahead of healthcare workers who need the protection more.

As mentioned by President Rodrigo Duterte in his public address on Wednesday, Alfred Romualdez of Tacloban, Leyte, Dibu Tuan of T’boli, South Cotabato, Sulpicio Villalobos of Sto Niño, South Cotabato, Noel Rosal of Legazpi, Albay, Abraham Ibba of Bataraza, Palawan, Elanito Peña of Minglanilla, Cebu, Victoriano Torres of Alicia, Bohol, Virgilio Mendez of San Miguel, Bohol, and Arturo Piollo II of Lila, Bohol already received COVID-19 shots.

Actor Mark Anthony Fernandez also got inoculated in Parañaque, as a photo of him quickly went viral on social media.

The Department of the Interior and Local Government has already issued show-cause orders to five of the listed mayors to explain their side, promising to go after the others who reportedly took the shots as well.

“We continue to stress that an effective national vaccination strategy is a vital component of an efficient national healthcare program, and is an important component of the equitable distribution of vaccines,” said De Guia.

Issues on unauthorized vaccination have long hounded the Philippines since last year after Duterte revealed that the Presidential Security Group (PSG) took smuggled Sinopharm COVID-19 doses despite getting no approval from regulatory authorities. Some Cabinet members and at least one senator were vaccinated alongside the PSG, according to veteran columnist Mon Tulfo, who admitted to also receiving the shot.

No one has been held accountable for this violation.

(Beatrice Puente/PM)

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