Senators on Saturday, March 20, hit the Department of Health’s supposed plan to prohibit manufacturers of tobacco, sugar, breastmilk substitute and other “unhealthy” products in the country from importing COVID-19 vaccines.Senator Imee Marcos bared in a radio interview that a “concerned” Cabinet official gave her a copy of the draft administrative order from the DOH, which allegedly seeks to prevent certain businesses from acquiring the coronavirus vaccines.
The AO, according to Marcos, states that National Task Force Against COVID-19 and the DOH should review all request of private entities to procure vaccines “to ensure that private entities who will be part of the agreement are not in anyway related to the tobacco industry, products covered under EO 51 series of 1986 or the ‘National Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes, Supplement and Other Related Products’, or other products in conflict with public health.
“Para sa akin, talagang that’s downright evil. Talagang wala akong magandang masabi tungkol diyan ,” she said, noting the delay in the government’s inoculation program and the lack of vaccine supply for the country. “It is discriminatory! Our people need all the help thay can get and yet they are preventing it by that absurd policy?” Sotto told reporters in a text message.“Ano ba importante? ‘Yong may problema sa paninigarilyo o ‘yong COVID? ‘Yong paninigarilyo, hindi nakakahawa, ang COVID nakakahawa, eh. ‘Yong pag-inom ng alak hindi naman nakakahawa ‘yon eh…Anong klase bang takbo ng kaisipan ‘yan ?”