By NG Seruela
President Rodrigo R. Duterte warned the private sector against procuring fake Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines on Monday.
In his weekly public address, President Duterte allowed the private sector to directly purchase vaccines against COVID-19 from pharmaceutical companies for their employees to reopen the economy.
However, he stressed that no private group must buy fake vaccines from unknown sources then sell them at a higher price due to availability.
“I’m just warning you, huwag na huwag kayong magkamali dito na hirap na ang Pilipino tapos dagdagan mo ng ganitong pamaraan ng hanapbuhay (do not ever make a mistake here. Filipinos are having a hard time then you add to their burden with this kind of livelihood).”
The Chief Executive also cautioned those who are actively producing fake COVID-19 vaccines, saying, “Hahanapin kita at ibigay ko sa iyo ano ang dapat para sa iyo. Ganito lang ang mundo. Hindi mo mapigil ‘yang mga ganitong klaseng krimen (I will find you and I will give what you deserve. This is how the world is. You cannot stop this kind of crime).”