Sinas grateful to Duterte police will be among first beneficiaries of COVID-19 vaccine

November 26, 2020

The chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) on Thursday said they are grateful that President Rodrigo Duterte wants the police and military to get the first shots of the COVID-19 vaccine along with the poor and vulnerable sector.

“Knowing the President, the PNP and AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) will be one of the priorities since he mentioned that the one to help in the vaccination is the military and police,” General Debold Sinas told reporters in Bicol.

“We are grateful that’s why we are now preparing for the implementation,” he said.

Sinas said the role of the police and military in the COVID-19 vaccination is to secure peace and order.

Duterte on his televised address last Monday said he needs healthy men police and soldiers.

 “As I have said, try to understand the police and the military. They are really the errand boy of the Republic. You saw that during the flooding in Luzon, you saw the military, Coast Guard, police… and then they have to take care of the law and order situation,” he said.

If the government can secure advance commitments from the three vaccine developers, National Task Force Against COVID-19 chief implementer Carlito Galvez Jr. said the government can have 60 million doses next year.

Initially, pharmaceutical firms Sinovac, Hansen, Gamaleya, AstraZeneca, and CanSino are set to conduct clinical trials in the Philippines. Ella Dionisio/DMS