Duterte says mayors jumping the vaccination queue a 'gray area'
President Rodrigo Duterte acknowledged the issue of mayors and other non-medical frontliners getting the COVID-19 jab, thereby risking the country’s allocation under the World Health Organization’s (WHO) COVAX facility, but he said that the matter is a “gray area.”
Duterte opened his late night address Wednesday, March 24, by talking about the issue.
“Eto yung kinakatakutan ko noon. I remember admonishing everybody na ang priority is ito ang masunod,” Duterte said, referring to the protocol set by the WHO that health workers should be prioritized.
“Hindi nasunod kasi may iba na ang balita ko naibigay sa mga anak ng mga artista, at iba pa the favored few,” said Duterte.
Duterte said the incident he was referring to involving the son of a former actor happened in Paranaque today. Early today, it was reported that Mark Anthony Fernandez, son of deceased actor Rudy Fernandez, was inoculated in Paranaque the other day.
Paranaque Mayor Edwin Olivarez, in an interview with ANC, said Fernandez was qualified because he has comorbidities.
Duterte also mentioned names of the five mayors who were earlier served a show-cause order by the Department of Interior and Local Government. They are Tacloban City, Leyte Mayor Alfred Romualdez; T’boli, South Cotabato Mayor Dibu Tuan; Sto. Niño, South Cotabato Mayor Sulpicio Villalobos; Legazpi City, Albay Mayor Noel Rosal; and Bataraza, Palawan Mayor Abraham Ibba.
“Ang rason nila I think is a universal excuse, para di matakot ang constituents. Medgyo gray area,” Duterte said.
Romualdez has said that he got the vaccine to boost confidence among his constituents.