Jan. 18, 2021
Sen. Grace Poe: Thank you, Mr. President. First, I’d like to thank from the bottom of my heart, not just as a senator but more important as a Filipino, Senator Lacson and also Senate President Sotto for having this very productive discussion on vaccines. We ourselves are in the Senate and we are at a loss, what more the public? That is actually what’s happening, that’s the data coming in from the survey. Naturally if you hear stories about the efficacy of the chosen vaccine of this government, you will be worried. Mr. President, I’d like to ask the gentleman from Cavite if he’s heard the pronouncement that ‘we are averse to the Sinovac vaccine because we are colonial-minded,’ have you heard that, somebody from the administration mentioned it?
Sen. Panfilo Lacson: Yes, I also heard that comment or remark, Mr. President.
Poe: Okay but isn’t it that allowing the mere source of the vaccine to trump science, isn’t that a form of being colonial-minded? Ibig sabihin dahil galing sa isang lugar na mas pabor sila, kahit na hindi ito angkop sa siyensiya o hindi ganun kaepektibo ang kanilang produkto ay ‘yun ang kukunin natin? Hindi ba sila ang colonial-minded, hindi naman tayo?
Lacson: Mr. President, what actually aroused our interest or curiosity kasi sabi ko sa privilege speech ‘yung Sinovac ‘yung most or the best and worst defended kaya tuloy tayo nagkaroon ng interes na mag-focus doon sa Sinovac. And here we are dahil nga because of the controversies that were unearthed, we are about to save P16.8 billion. Kung nasunod ‘yung unang computation mas mababa pa doon sa sinabi ni Senator Drilon, as submitted by the DOH, because my computation was based on P3,600 not on P3,800. And comparing that with $5 na binili ng Thailand, easily ang na-save natin, kung hindi tayo nag-intercede ang mawawala sa atin ay $350 million or equivalent to P16.8 billion in tax money.
Poe: Mr. President, di’ba talagang parang pinagpipilitan nila itong isang kumpanya na ito. Isn’t that a form of drug pushing? Parang ‘yun ang kanilang ipinipilit doon sa ating pag-uusap. In fact, wala pa ngang FDA approval pero nag-commit na, ilan ba, 25,000 will be vaccinated by February. Am I correct?
Lacson: Yes, Mr. President. And whoever was mainly responsible for pushing hard ‘yung Sinovac, it eventually became their own undoing. Kasi kung meron, as I mentioned in my speech, wala naman tayong ina-accuse, we’re not prepared to accuse anybody of corruption. But the fact remains that seemingly there’s an overprice of so much if we insist in procuring this vaccine. So ‘yun ang computation natin, Mr. President.
Poe: Mr. President, would you know who’s pushing for this?
Lacson: Let’s attend the next hearing, Mr. President.
Poe: Okay. Isa pa, don’t you think that our state security and national interest is hinged on this issue? State security na rin, Mr. President.
Lacson: Yes probably, Mr. President.
Poe: Kasi di’ba kung nakasalalay dito ang kalusugan ng ating mga kababayan kung ligtas sila dito o hindi, talagang security ‘yan ng bansa, hindi po ba?
Lacson: Yes.
Poe: I would like to also mention since the good gentleman from Cavite had quoted my mother as saying, what she said in 2004, ‘Ang sinungaling ay kapatid ng magnanakaw.’ Totoo po ‘yun at tama rin na idinagdag ni Senator Lacson na ang incompetent ay tinutulungan ang magnanakaw kaya magkakakuntsaba lahat ‘yan. Pero siguro sa pagtatapos, sa mga nagsasabi na ang Senado pa ang nagtatanim ng duda, hindi ba trabaho natin na kilatising mabuti ang mga pinapasukan nating kontrata lalung-lalo na kung pera ng bansa ang ginagamit natin.
Lacson: I couldn’t agree more with that statement, Mr. President. We’re coming from different directions. ‘Yung interpretation ko naman, ang incompetent ang bunsong kapatid ng sinungaling at magnanakaw kasi ang incompetent madaling utuin, madaling turuan ng korapsyon, madaling turuan din na magsinungaling. I thought I was coming from that direction but as you stated a while earlier, iba naman ang direksyon na pinanggagalingan ninyo and it’s enlightening to hear from you, Mr. President.
Poe: Well, Mr. President, magkakamag-anak nga ‘yan pero ‘yun nga if you don’t do your job properly you’re enabling these people who have less than pure intentions. Kaya nga, Mr. President, umaalingasaw itong kontrata na diumano maaaring pasukan natin at maraming salamat na nabantayan ninyo at kasama na rin ang ating mga kababayan na may tunay na malasakit, kaya ang mga netizens talagang nagtatanong kung ano ba talaga ang nangyayari dito. Gaya nga ng sinabi ng nanay ko, hindi lamang ‘yung mga quotable quotes na ‘yan, ang isa pang pwedeng idagdag dito, ‘Huwag mahihiyang magtanong.’ ‘Yun lamang po, Mr. President. Salamat po.
