Social media went on a firestorm with the news that members of the military in the Presidential Security Group received unauthorized, donated vaccines.
However, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque came to their defense, downplaying the incident of possible smuggling and unauthorized administration of the Sinopharm vaccine as a token.
With that, celebrities K Brosas and Enchong Dee reacted to Roque comparing the vaccines to tokens.
Firstly, K Brosas retweeted a video of Roque. Through emoji, she expressed her shock and anger over his statement.
— carmela brosas (@kbrosas) December 29, 2020
On the other hand, Enchong pointed out their tendencies to use semantics to dodge their violations while supposedly upholding the law.
Eto yung administration na walang group chat at gagamitin lahat ng words sa dictionary para makalusot sa batas na sila mismo ang lumalabag
https://t.co/xr1GMdWRLJ
— Enchong Dee (@enchongdee777) December 29, 2020
Aside from celebrities, journalist Jules Guiang added his opinion on the matter. Firstly, he asked if Roque thinks that the public is simple-minded. Then, he pointed out the ethical issues the PSG members violated in receiving the unauthorized vaccine as tokens.
Tingin mo ba mangmang kami @attyharryroque? https://t.co/4fd4hFUPDS
— Jules Guiang (@julesguiang) December 29, 2020
Also kung ethical standards sa gobyerno ang pag-uusapan, di ba @attyharryroque kapag TOKEN ang pinag-uusapan dapat ipapasa ‘yan sa opisina for safekeeping? Hay nako ka talaga Harry. https://t.co/RW6EDCBBEJ
— Jules Guiang (@julesguiang) December 29, 2020
Despite their defense, the PSG members arguably violated the prohibitions of Republic Act No. 3019, or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
As stated in Section 3, Paragraph B: “Directly or indirectly requesting or receiving any gift, present, share, percentage, or benefit, for himself or for any other person, in connection with any contract or transaction between the Government and any other part, wherein the public officer in his official capacity has to intervene under the law.”
And in Section 3 Paragraph C: “Directly or indirectly requesting or receiving any gift, present or other pecuniary or material benefit, for himself or for another, from any person for whom the public officer, in any manner or capacity, has secured or obtained, or will secure or obtain, any Government permit or license, in consideration for the help given or to be given, without prejudice to Section thirteen of this Act.”
In the video, Roque cited section 14 of the Bill, which states: “Unsolicited gifts or presents of small or insignificant value offered or given as a mere ordinary token of gratitude or friendship according to local customs or usage, shall be excepted from the provisions of this Act.”
However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, a vaccine can arguably be of high value as nations are clamoring to secure several dosages for their constituents apart from the Philippines. Additionally, COVID-19 vaccines cost significantly with a price range of P366 up to P4500.
Finally, without knowing where the vaccines came from, how can they be considered tokens of gratitude in accordance with local customs or usage?
