MANILA – Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon is urging the Senate to summon Presidential Security Group (PSG) Commander Brigadier General Jesus Durante III over the unregistered coronavirus vaccine inoculation.
“The PSG Commander must be called and must appear in the investigation of the Committee of the Whole to shed light on this issue,” Drilon said in a statement.
“The most important ‘who’ and ‘how’ of the story remains a mystery. The PSG commander is deliberately withholding the basic questions of who and how from the public,” he added.
Durante took “full responsibility” for the administration of the unregistered vaccine to his members, admitting that they did the vaccination by themselves without the knowledge of the President or any other agencies.
“Who else was involved? How did unregistered COVID-19 vaccines enter the country? Who imported it from China?” the Ilonggo senator stressed.
Drilon also warned that those involved in the inoculation of the Sinopharm vaccine will face a penalty of imprisonment ranging from one to 10 years or a fine of not less P50 thousand but not more half a million, or both.
The manufacturer, importer or distributor will face stiffer penalties of five to 10 years imprisonment and a fine of P500 thousand to P5 million, he said.
“The FDA’s assertion that it has not given any Emergency Use Authorization to any vaccine for COVID-19 is enough basis to prosecute those involved in this illegal inoculation. Our authorities should look into it and prosecute those involved,” Drilon said./PN
