In September and October, members of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s safety detail received Covid-19 vaccines. But no shots were approved for use in the country – then or now.
Lawmakers are trying to find out how the vaccines were smuggled in.
The scandal started after Mr. Duterte last month said several members of a military unit charged with his personal protection had been vaccinated without his knowing. Brig. General Jesus Durante III, the unit’s commander, later said that “a handful” of guards were shot in September and October to protect the president from exposure to the virus.
Mr. Durante said the president only heard about it after the two required shots were given and that the unit was acting without the help or approval of any other authority.
“We vaccinated ourselves,” he said in a television interview. “It’s that easy.”