Sen. Risa Hontiveros
(Senate of the Philippines / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN)
“Dapat ma-aresto at ma-deport na ang mga Chinese na kriminal sa ating bansa (Chinese criminals here in our country should be arrested and deported). Our country is not a crime scene for Chinese,” Hontiveros said in a statement.
The Chinese foreign minister should also include those with ties to the local Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) industry.
“China’s foreign minister should cooperate with our government to completely crack down on crime,” she said.
“Kung gaano yung pagka-agresibo nila sa pag-aangkin sa West Philippine Sea, sana agresibo din sila sa pag-aresto ng kanilang mga kriminal dito (I hope they are aggressive in arresting their criminals here in the same way they are aggressive in claiming our West Philippine Sea),” the senator said.
Senator Risa Hontiveros on Wednesday questioned Malacanang’s announcement that COVID-19 vaccines manufactured by Pfizer would only be made available in the National Capital Region (NCR) and mega cities and not in the provinces.
Opposition Senator Risa Hontiveros on Sunday pressed Health Secretary Francisco Duque III and heads of the government’s task force against COVID-19 to reveal to the public their contingency plan amid reports of the new COVID variant already in the Philippines.
Sen. Risa Hontiveros
(Senate of the Philippines / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN)
Hontiveros statement comes after top Malacañang officials and members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) were reportedly vaccinated by Chinese pharmaceutical company SinoPharmaceuticals (Sinopharm) despite the lack of authority from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
“This was unsafe and illegal. These vaccines were clearly smuggled through a black market, and even worse, seem to (have been) sanctioned by the government,” Hontiveros said in a statement.
“Ang taumbayan ba ang nagbayad para sa iligal na vaccination na ito? (Is it taxpayers who paid for this illegal vaccination?)This is another whiff of corruption,” she also asked.
Published December 16, 2020, 1:15 PM
The Philippine government’s choice for which coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine to buy should be based on science, not a political favor.
Opposition Senator Risa Hontiveros issued this statement as experts raised questions on the efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccine produced by Chinese pharmaceutical Sinovac, which government entered a deal with recently for 25 million doses for roll-out in the first quarter of 2021.
Sen. Risa Hontiveros
(Senate of the Philippines / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN)
Hontiveros said that the Sinovac vaccine has yet to undergo assessment by the Health Technology Assessment Council (HTAC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).