Lawmaker tags vaccine czar’s claim as ‘big lie’

By Jennifer P. Rendon

Iloilo 1st District Rep. Janette Garin slammed the allegations of vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. that she asked for her own allocation of the COVID-19 vaccines for her district.

In an interview Thursday, Garin vehemently denied Galvez’s claim and called it a “big lie.”

Galvez made the statement in an apparent retort to Garin’s earlier pronouncement on the “unsystematic distribution” of vaccines against across the country.

Garin, a former health secretary, earlier claimed that there was “palakasan” (patronage or favoritism) in the vaccine rollout which Galvez denied.

Galvez claimed that Garin wanted to get her own share of the vaccines which he deemed as an improper procedure.

“Mahirap na nasa panahon tayo ng pandemya at maraming kumakalat at maraming akusasyon na sa tingin ko po ay hindi tama. Ang sabi niya po ay gusto ko na sa akin ibigay ang mga bakuna. This is not true and this is a big lie,” Garin said.

The lady lawmaker said that she only asked Galvez for fair and equitable distribution of the doses.

She added that the government should come up with a clear distribution list because as of now, there is no clear basis for the allocation of vaccines to various local government units.

“Nasaan ang malinaw na distribution list? Si Sec Galvez na din mismo ang nagsabi na tinatawagan sya ng mga mayor at governors.  Walang malinaw na batayan,” Garin said, stressing that target population and preventing surges should be the basis.

With Galvez already aware of the arrival of vaccines to the country, Garin said local governments should be informed in advance of these allocations.

“Kung may delay o pagbabago, maabisuhan ang lahat. Napakasimpleng proseso niyan. Bakit wala? Bakit hindi magawa?” Garin asked.

“In vaccinology, when one encounters a pandemic or preventing a surge, what you do is to let your generals on the ground know their weapon. Dapat alam ng mga generals on the grounds – the governors, the mayors, municipal health officers, and implementors, including the volunteers – what they have to control the surge to be able to win the war.”

Garin lamented that there was no clear basis for the rollout, prompting local leaders to make personal calls to Galvez, being the vaccine czar.

“Lahat dapat mayroon. Lahat dapat naka-schedule. Dapat lahat premeditated at informed ang mga lugar kahit saang sulok pa ng bansa. Para ang mga LGU ay nakakapagplano din. Monthly allocation should already be clear by now,” she added.

With the country’s vast experience on vaccination, Garin said the government should have a clear plan on distribution and implementation by now.

“It’s population-based. There can be allocation to surge areas. We understand the NCR plus 8. Pero ang paulit-ulit na tanong, nasaan ang klarong distribution list? Hindi naman pwedeng sila-sila lang ang may alam,” she stressed.

With many local governments being forced to stop their vaccine rollout due to lack of available jabs, Garin said it would take some time before the country achieves herd immunity.

Garin also rejected Galvez’s accusation of politicking, saying that as a representative of her district, she has an obligation to bring the needs of her constituents to the attention of the national government.

“What I did was nothing personal. Hindi maling bagay na kapag Ikaw ang vaccine czar ay hindi na pwedeng mag-komento ang ordinaryong Pilipino,” she said.

Garin said she only wanted to help and it’s beyond politics.

“Madami na ang napapagod, at umaasa na matapos na ang pandemya. Maraming nawalan ng trabaho at kabuhayan. Sana ay wag na masamain ang mga tumutulong sa gobyerno,” she said.