8
Weekend
BALITA
Visit www.Balita.com
global NEWS
Saturday-Friday | March 6 - 12, 2021
Nat’l vaccine priority list stays despite some ‘breaches’ MANILA (Mabuhay) — The national government will stick to its Covid-19 National Vaccination Plan, Malacañang said Thursday after some ranking government officials, who are not frontline medical workers, reportedly received the Sinovac-made CoronaVac jab. Under the government’s prioritization list, frontline healthcare workers are supposedly first in line to be administered with the vaccine brand of their choice. However, some government officials including the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya and Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) chief of staff Michael Salalima had already received the CoronaVac shot. Other officials who received the vaccine are Pasay City Vice Mayor Noel Boyet Del Rosario and Manila Vice Mayor Honey Lacuna-Pangan, who is also a doctor. President Rodrigo Duterte earlier ordered only three officials -- vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr., testing czar Vince Dizon, and MMDA chairperson Benhur Abalos -- to get inoculated to boost confidence in the vaccine. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Director General Eric Domingo was also allowed to receive the CoronaVac jab. In a Palace press briefing, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said Malaya and Salalima, who were both vaccinated at the Pasay City General Hospital on Tuesday, were “prompted” by hospital officials to also receive the CoronaVac vaccine. “The two naman, in good faith, thought that they were doing the nation a service
by having themselves vaccinated kasi nga mataas pa yung tinatawag nating distrust sa bakuna (because there is still high distrust in the vaccines). So upon being prodded and being offered and guided by their desire to increase public confidence in the vaccine, nagpabakuna po sila (they had themselves vaccinated),” he said. He admitted that the interim National Immunization Technical Advisory Group’s (iNITAG) strict policy to stick to the prioritization list was “not disseminated properly.” “Hindi talaga niya alam na hindi na-approve yung gusto namin na mga taong gobyerno ang magpapturok para nga ma-increase po ang vaccine confidence. Dahil nga po ang desisyon naman ng iNITAG na huwag na bakunahan ang iba pang mga tao (He really didn’t know that our proposal to have government officials vaccinated to boost vaccine confidence was not approved. Because of the decision of iNITAG not to vaccinate officials) beyond Secretary Galvez, Secretary Dizon, and Chairman Abalos was not really disseminated properly,” he said. Roque admitted that there were some “breaches” in the protocol but assured that it is now clear that only frontline healthcare workers are allowed to receive vaccines first. “Hindi po tayo perfect sa pagpapatupad nitong protocol, nagkaroon tayo ng kakaunting breaches pero we (We’re not perfect when it comes to implementing protocols, there were few breaches but we) have learned from the breaches and now everyone knows medical front-liners muna (first),” he said.
Medical front-liners still the priority Following the expected arrival of 487,000 doses of United Kingdom’s AstraZeneca vaccines on Thursday night, Roque assured that frontline healthcare workers will still be the first group to receive the vaccines. “The only thing I can be sure of is uunahin ang medical front-liners (medical front-liners will still go first). But the iNITAG would have to come up with that protocol. But I suppose they will follow the same protocol priority,” he said. Earlier, Canada's National Advisory Committee on Immunizations
(NACI) recommended against using the AstraZeneca vaccines in people aged 65 and older. Roque, however, allayed fears over the safety and efficacy of the UK-manufactured vaccine, noting that no less than the World Health Organization (WHO) has given it clearance for emergency use. “I don’t think it is something that should be a basis para mag-atubili na naman sa AstraZeneca. Itong AstraZeneca po ay (to have hesitations again about AstraZeneca). This AstraZeneca is) equally as popular as Pfizer,” he said. (MNS)
Proposed changes to anti-drug law to be ‘constitutional’
MANILA (Mabuhay) — President Rodrigo Duterte will make sure that the proposed amendments to Republic Act (RA) 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 are constitutionally-compliant, Malacañang said on Thursday. Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque gave the assurance, after human rights advocates raised worry over a House bill which presumes guilt of drug suspects until proven innocent. In an online press conference in Cebu, Roque said Duterte would not sign into law any proposed legislative measure that could infringe the 1987 Constitution and the country’s laws. “Bilang tagapagpatupad po ng Saligang Batas naman at lahat ng batas natin, sisiguraduhin ng ating Pangulo na lahat ng batas na naghihintay ng kaniyang lagda ay hindi po salungat sa ating Saligang Batas (As an implementer of the Constitution and laws, the President will make sure that bills awaiting his signature will not violate the Constitution),” Roque said. The House of Representatives on Tuesday ap-
proved on third and final reading a measure that aims to strengthen drug prevention and control in the country. House Bill (HB) 7814, which introduces amendments to RA 9165, seeks to reinforce the campaign against the proliferation of dangerous drugs by providing for a legal presumption on individuals considered as importers, financiers, protectors, or coddlers of illegal drugs. Anyone spotted in the place where the sale, trading, marketing, dispensation, and delivery or distribution of drugs happen is presumed to be involved in the illegal operation “unless proven otherwise,” according to the proposed measure. The bill also penalizes negligent lessors whose properties are used as clandestine drug laboratories, unless they can show documents that will exempt them from liabilities. Under HB 7814, lessors are directed to include in the lease contract a stipulation that the property being leased “will not be used for the illicit manufacture of dangerous drugs and/or controlled precursors and essential
chemicals in violation of this act.” Amnesty International, in a statement issued Wednesday, said t he measure showed a “dangerous disregard for human rights guaranteed under domestic and international law.” Roque said the Palace respects lawmakers’ right to pass measures deemed beneficial to the country. “We respect the prerogative of our legislators to enact law dahil iyan po ay kanilang trabaho (We respect the prerogative of our legislators to enact law because that’s their job),” he said. He said the executive branch would also await the final version of the proposed bill. “Hindi pa naman po iyan batas. Iyan naman ay panukalang batas pa rin hanggang hindi mapasa ang bersiyon sa Senado (That’s not yet a law. It’s just a proposed measure until the Senate passes its version of the bill),” Roque said. “So hintayin po natin kung ano ang magiging pinal na bersiyon nitong panukalang batas (Let’s just await the final version of the bill).” (MNS)
