‘Walang pinipili:’ Duque says vaccine is for all Filipinos

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said Thursday the inoculation drive in the country should not be denied to anyone, even the private armed group members, as they could also be a cause of COVID-19 infections.

Duque issued his statement while explaining the plans of the government to ramp up the vaccination drive in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) where several armed groups are believed to be located.

Asked how the government would respond in case members of the Abu Sayyaf or the New People's Army (NPA) fall in line to get vaccinated, Duque said, “Para sa atin naman, actually, sa totoo lang, ang bakunahan naman natin, walang pinipili eh, basta Pilipino [for us, honestly, we choose no one in our vaccination, as long as they are Filipino].”

“Hindi mo dapat ipagkait dahil syempre, mga panggagalingan din sila ng hawaan ‘di ba? ‘Pag ‘di mo naman sila sinakupan [you shouldn't deny them of the vaccine because they could also be sources of infection if you don't cover them],” he added.

It could be recalled that President Rodrigo Duterte in January said that spare COVID-19 vaccines can be given to New People's Army (NPA) members so they can get protection against the viral disease.

“‘Pag may sobra. Kung may sobra lang. Hindi kayo puwedeng unahin kay kalaban kayo sa gobyerno,” he said during the second part of the President’s Talk to the People aired January 25.

(If there are spare [vaccines]. Only if there are spare [items]. You cannot be prioritized because you are enemies of the government.)

In response, Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) chief information officer Marco Valbuena said Duterete’s “fiendish and fascist mindset” was revealed in this statement as he is using the medical service as a “weapon of war.”

Valbuena admitted that a huge number of the NPA remains unvaccinated against COVID-19 as the vaccination centers are far and they do not have the money for travel.

Duterte also earlier requested the nurses among communist rebels to help increase the country's health workforce during the pandemic.

Meanwhile, Duque said government troops, including the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP), can help in bringing the vaccines in BARMM as there are still areas there infested with NPA and other armed groups.

He allayed concerns regarding the security threat to the vaccinators who will be deployed in BARMM, saying that the law enforcers have made adjustments to ensure their safety.

“Kailangan talagang planuhin nang maayos. Pero alam naman kung anong gagawin ng ating law enforcement agencies para siguraduhin na ligtas ang ating mga bakuna at ang bakunahan mismo ay hindi nalalagay sa peligro,” he said.

[We really need to plan this well. But our law enforcement agencies already know what to do to ensure that the vaccines are safe and the vaccination drive itself will not be put in peril.]

The Department of Health said on Wednesday the government is looking to provide aid in exchange for residents getting vaccinated against COVID-19 in BARMM.

The government is eyeing to fully vaccinate 77 million Filipinos against COVID-19 by the end of March, and 90 million by the time Duterte steps down from office on June 30. — RSJ, GMA News