MANILA – Opposition senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan on Wednesday took a swipe at administration officials for giving conflicting statements and positions on the vaccination of Presidential Security Group (PSG) members against the COVID-19.

In a statement, Pangilinan, echoing sentiments of social media users, advised government officials to create a “group chat” so they would have a single “direction” on the matter.

“Sabi ng FDA (Food and Drug Administration) at ng [Bureau of] Customs, ilegal ‘yong mga pinasok na vaccine. Sabi naman ni [Presidential Spokesperson] Harry Roque, walang nangyaring ilegal. Sabi nga sa social media, dapat bumuo sila ng group chat para iisa lang ang direksiyon nila,” Pangilinan said.

(The FDA and Customs said the vaccines were illegal. Harry Roque said there was nothing illegal about it. Social media users are saying the officials should just create a group chat so they would have one direction.)

The FDA had said it had yet to approve any COVID-19 vaccine for local use despite the admission of officials that some members of President Rodrigo Duterte’s security group were already inoculated with a vaccine from Sinopharm, a Chinese state-owned pharmaceutical company.

• Unauthorized use of COVID-19 vaccine illegal, FDA says after Duterte's PSG inoculated

Roque also insisted that the vaccination was not illegal when he bared that the Sinopharm vaccines were donations.

• Palace: COVID-19 vaccine given to PSG was 'a donation'
• Año says nothing illegal with unauthorized COVID-19 vaccines given to PSG

“Nakakalungkot na kahit nariyan na ang vaccine czar na si Charlie Galvez, na sa aking paniwala ay may kakayahan at dapat in charge sa vaccine rollout, ay kanya-kanyang kilos pa rin,” Pangilinan said.

(I’m saddened that even though we have a vaccine czar, Charlie Galvez, whom I believe is capable and should be in charge of the vaccine rollout, officials are still working on their own.)

Pangilinan said he hopes the Senate Committee of the Whole’s hearing on the country’s vaccination plan, scheduled to take place in January, would shed light on all questions regarding the issue.

• Senate Committee of the Whole to look into Philippines' COVID-19 vaccination plan

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