‘Actor prioritized to prevent vaccine wastage’

MANILA, Philippines — It was the fear of seeing doses of vaccines go to waste that made the Parañaque City government decide to allow actor Mark Anthony Fernandez to be vaccinated against COVID-19 despite his not being a medical frontliner, Mayor Edwin Olivarez said yesterday.

In an interview over ANC News, Olivarez said Fernandez was allowed to take the place of a frontliner who did not show up at the last minute for the scheduled jab.

“If the 10 doses were not used, it would have been a waste. That’s why we used our substitution list, where the next group after health frontliners were senior citizens and persons with comorbidities,” Olivarez said, as he insisted that Fernandez has comorbidities – hypertension and depression. There are 10 doses in one vaccine vial.

“Our vaccine would be wasted, since the frontliner (who was supposed to take the vaccine) did not show up on that specific day. But there were doses already used in the vials, so if we do not use it, that would be wasted,” he added.

Olivarez maintained that the city has already inoculated 90 to 95 percent of health workers.

He also claimed that several individuals in the substitution list were inoculated with the vaccine on the same day as Fernandez.

The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) will summon the Parañaque chief executive to explain his side on the issue.

DILG Undersecretary Epimaco Densing said he has also received complaints that a city councilor and an individual from the Department of Justice (DOJ) were allowed to be vaccinated, aside from Fernandez.

Densing said that they are set to issue a show cause order against Olivarez for allowing these individuals to be vaccinated ahead of others in the priority list, especially healthcare workers.

The DILG said that Olivarez has a “command responsibility” to ensure that the national vaccination program is being followed, especially since the Astrazeneca vaccine doses were donations under the COVAX Facility of the World Health Organization (WHO).

Densing raised the possibility that patronage politics or even monetary considerations were involved in the decision of city officials to allow certain individuals including Fernandez to be vaccinated under the substitution list scheme.

He said he found it suspicious that individuals were readily allowed to substitute for those in the list that did not show up. But Densing admitted there is no criminal liability for private individuals who jumped the line in the priority list.

“But I hope they get bothered by their conscience,” he said.

DILG officer-in-charge Undersecretary Bernardo Florece said that a total of 719 local government units have already submitted their master list of people to be vaccinated in their jurisdictions.

Explanation

Local chief executives defended their decision to get inoculated ahead of some health frontliners.

“Mayors cannot be blamed for taking the lead to prove that vaccines are safe under (their) jurisdiction,” said Narvacan, Ilocos Sur Mayor Luis “Chavit” Singson who is also national president of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP).

“As Chief Executives, it is our duty to oversee our people’s general welfare, be at the forefront during disasters or calamities, and safeguard them,”  Singson said.

He said mayors  “meet a lot of individuals, visit Barangays, consult various sectors, implement programs, and enforce the law.”

“With such enormous responsibility, we must first and foremost ensure that we are strong and healthy thus we can protect our people and fight for them,” he said.

Mayor Virgilio Mendez of San Miguel, Bohol said he got himself inoculated with Astra Zeneca vaccine after some of those scheduled to take jabs did not show up.

“I didn’t force my way, I was a substitute because many of those scheduled for the jab failed to show up,” he said in Filipino in an interview over Teleradyo.

The 69-year old Mendez said he sees nothing wrong with his action as he even consulted the town’s health officer if he could receive the vaccine being a senior citizen with comorbidities.

As a local chief executive, Mendez said he is always at risk of getting infected as there is currently a local transmission in San Miguel.

“I said ‘doctor is it possible for me to take the place of those who are not submitting themselves for the vaccination?’ She said ‘I think there is nothing wrong mayor because you are always exposed (to the virus),” Mendez said.

Mendez lamented that he and other mayors were being pilloried even if what they only wanted was to boost the confidence of their constituents in vaccines.

“It’s damned if you do, damned if you don’t,” he said.

“I will answer the DILG show cause order,” said Mayor Noel Rosal of Legazpi City. “Anyway, the DOH made me champion of vaccine advocacy,” he said.

Escalante City Mayor Melecio “Beboy” Yap said he is ready to be sanctioned but expressed belief he did not do anything wrong.

“I am willing to take any penalty on my action because I do believe I have no fault,” Yap said.

He said that there were 150 Sinovac vaccines allocated for the Vicente Gustilo District Hospital in Escalante City, but only 47 medical frontliners were willing to be vaccinated at the time.

“They were hesitant. Maybe because it was Sinovac. So we decided that all city employees will be classified under quick response so that the hospital personnel will follow the example,” the Escalante mayor said. – Artemio Dumlao, Gilbert Bayoran,Emmanuel Tupas