PSG chief admitted that they acquired the COVID-19 vaccine for free, but he refused to disclose their “source”
The chief of the Presidential Security Group (PSG) on Tuesday admitted that his unit got the COVID-19 vaccine for free. However, he refused to disclose their “source”.
In an exclusive report for GMA Network’s “24 Oras” by Joseph Morong, Presidential Security Group commander Brigadier General Jesus Durante III said that the PSG made the decision to get vaccinated and President Rodrigo Duterte was only made aware of it after the fact.
Durante also said that the PSG itself did the research on which COVID-19 vaccine to acquire for the close-in security personnel around President Duterte.
However, Durante refused to say who gave the COVID-19 vaccine to them.
“Hindi ko rin masabi actually eh kung saan namin nakuha ‘yun, source namin, but maybe someday you’ll find out, you’ll know someday. For now, huwag muna, it could jeopardize itong vaccination program, procurement ng government natin,” he said.
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Meanwhile, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the Philippines has yet to approve any COVID-19 vaccine.
Amid this new controversy, the Food and Drug Administration said that donations of the COVID-19 vaccine still required clearances, adding that the PSG’s procurement of COVID-19 vaccine was a breach of the regulatory process.
Durante then defended his unit’s circumventing the rules and said that they got inoculated in order to protect President Duterte from COVID-19.
He also said that President Duterte himself wasn’t yet vaccinated and still waiting for a “perfect and appropriate” COVID-19 vaccine.
The said issue came to light after President Duterte on Saturday said that several Filipino soldiers were already vaccinated with the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Sinopharm.
Durante would neither confirm nor deny that a Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine was the brand they used.
“What I can tell you is that the vaccine is one of the safest and it’s very traditional, it’s a traditional platform and one of the safest platforms being used right now,” he said.
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