Presidential Spokesperson Secretary Harry Roque said that getting the COVID-19 vaccine jab in the Philippines isn’t prohibited by law, even if it hasn’t been authorized yet by the country’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
“Hindi pinagbabawal ng batas ang magpaturok ng hindi rehistrado. Ang bawal, yung distribution at pagbebenta,” said Sec. Roque in a statement from the Philippine News Agency.
RELATED STORY: Military men already injected with COVID-19 vaccine in PH – Army Chief
The Palace stated that the law only prohibits distribution and sale of unapproved products, stating that the ongoing claims of military personnel getting the vaccine “must have been the decision of the commanders and the soliders”. Sec. Roque furthered that to his knowledge, the vaccination was free of charge.
Malacañang also corroborated with Philippine Army chief Lieutenant General Cirilito Sobejana’s earlier statement that some soldiers were vaccinated even if there’s no approved vaccine yet in the country.
“Ang ipinagbabawal ay pagbebenta. Wala pong bumili ng bakuna,” Roque added.
READ ON: AFP ‘not aware’ of COVID-19 vaccination among military personnel
As of posting time, FDA Chief Eric Domingo reiterated that there’s no approved vaccine yet in the Philippines. The FDA and DOH have repeatedly warned the public against using unregistered vaccines.
“Vaccines are kept in strict conditions. They only work if they are followed through from the factory through cold chain. And this is only done by licensed distributors. If people are getting vaccines from unknown sources, and they inject it with an unlicensed facility, the probability of getting counterfeit or spoiled is very high. If something happens, there’s no way to trace where this came from. So there’s a lot of dangers,” Domingo told CNN Philippines in an interview. (TDT)
