Manila Bulletin
Senate hearing to focus on gov’t vaccination program, says Sotto; senators assert independence in legislative duties
Senate President Vicente Sotto III clarified that the Senate Committee of the Whole's inquiry on January 11 will focus on the government's P72.5-billion budget for the COVID-19 vaccine rollout, not on the unauthorized vaccination of the Presidential Security Group (PSG).
Sotto stated that President Duterte may have been misinformed about the hearing's agenda, as he, in his capacity as Senate President, is the chairman of the Committee of the Whole and the topic is the vaccine roadmap.
Duterte had previously warned Congress against compelling PSG members to testify about their immunization, citing self-preservation.
Sotto expressed that he is not keen on allowing PSG members to testify and believes the President is being misled regarding the hearing's focus.
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Senate President Vicente Sotto III stated that the uproar over the early vaccination of Presidential Security Group (PSG) personnel is a "non-issue" and should not divert the Senate from its investigation into the government's COVID-19 immunization program.
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The Makabayan bloc has filed a resolution urging the House of Representatives to investigate the Presidential Security Group (PSG) for allegedly using smuggled COVID-19 vaccines.
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