Ping to vaccine czar: Dont defend the indefensible

Don’t defend the indefensible.

This was Sen. Panfilo Lacson’s advice to vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. on Saturday, after Galvez “defended” Health Secretary Francisco Duque III when he insisted no ball was dropped in initial talks to procure COVID vaccines from the United States.

“Please don’t defend the indefensible… This is also not an issue of a ‘mission impossible’ of getting the vaccines by January. The issue is Duque’s negligence that more efficient bureaucracies like Singapore getting the vaccines ahead of us,” Lacson said in an interview on DWIZ radio.

Late on Friday, Galvez issued a statement claiming no bus was missed and no ball was dropped in talks to procure vaccines. He added this is no time for finger-pointing or buck-passing.

But Lacson, citing information reaching him, said Duque had asked Galvez and other Cabinet members to defend him in the media. He said Duque was “practically frantic” in doing so.

On the other hand, Lacson said the Cabinet should help Duque not by helping defend him in the media, but by helping him do his job.

“This time, I expect Sec. Duque to be alert, and I expect the Cabinet members to help him move faster instead of defending him through statements to the media. Tulungan na lang. huwag tulungan magpaliwanag sa media. Tulungan na lang magtrabaho,” he said.

Earlier, Lacson bared it was Duque who “dropped the ball” in initial talks for vaccines by not acting quickly in signing a Confidentiality Disclosure Agreement that would seal the deal.

Lacson noted Locsin and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke Friday night for the Philippines to procure COVID vaccines, even if it is just a fraction of the 10 million doses initially discussed.

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