Rodriguez To Galvez: “I will fault you”
Cagayan De Oro City Representative Rufus Rodriguez said that he will “fault” vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr over COVID-19 deaths in Cagayan de Oro City.
Rodriguez didn’t mince his words as he expressed his frustration over the low and slow distribution of COVID-19 vaccines particularly in Mindanao, which had seen a surge in coronavirus cases over the past weeks — even saying that he’ll “fault” Galvez for the deaths of coronavirus patients in his city.
He said during the meeting of the House committee on Mindanao affairs on the coronavirus situation in the region that he had written to Galvez twice, from as early as May, requesting for an increase in COVID-19 vaccine supply for Cagayan De Oro City.
However, Rodriguez said that he didn’t receive any reply to both of his letters.
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He lamented that had the national government responded to their requests, many of his constituents wouldn’t have died to the severe respiratory disease caused by COVID-19.
“Many already—thousands—of Cagayanos would have been alive today. That is the problem, a very slow, weak response to our request. In fact, no response at all! I have two other meetings to do but I am going to be here because I will fault you, vaccine czar! I will fault you for the death of barangay chairmen and also my family members. You have failed to give more to cities which are higher, very much high incidence of COVID-19,” Rodriguez said.
He likewise hit the seeming lack of urgency from authorities to respond to the coronavirus situation in Mindanao.
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Rodriguez questioned if the lack of attention given to Mindanao was because the region was “very far from the seat of power” in Manila.
Galvez wasn’t present during the meeting, but Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) Undersecretary Isidro Purisima apologized and assured that more COVID-19 vaccines will arrive in the Philippines in the coming weeks.
According to Purisima, there’s inadequate vaccine supply during the last week of May until the first week of June – drawing the ire of Rodriguez who said that his request was sent even before the vaccine supply issues.
Galvez was principally President Rodrigo Duterte’s adviser on the peace process.
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