PNP CHIEF Gen. Guillermo Eleazar yesterday said probers have identified a suspect in the alleged sale of vaccines or vaccination slots in San Juan and Mandaluyong cities.
Eleazar said based on initial findings of the PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, the sale was being conducted through social media.
“We have already identified at least one person who offered his high school friend two brands of vaccines for a price ranging from P12,000 to P15,500 through a social media messaging app,” he said.
“The same person has been claiming that he has contacts in San Juan and Mandaluyong LGUs (local government units), the reason why he could easily get vaccines and even guarantee slots for the vaccination, and even presented deposit slips as proof of his previous ‘transactions,’” he added.
Benhur Abalos, chairman of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), said those who bought vaccines or vaccine slots “would be charged because they are a principal by inducement.”
The investigation was prompted by recent reports on social media that vaccines and vaccines slots are being sold in San Juan and Mandaluyong for P8,000 to P12,000, depending on the vaccine brand, for two doses. Parañaque City Mayor Edwin Olivarez has said he received reports that some “unscrupulous individuals” were selling slots or vaccine slots for a fee.
A netizen also posted on Twitter a screenshot of a supposed conversation between two persons about a transaction for COVID-19 jabs in exchange for cash, in Mandaluyong and San Juan. The unnamed seller supposedly claimed to have contacts in the two LGUs for the reservation of COVID-19 vaccine slots.
Eleazar did not give the name of the suspect who he said has deactivated all his social media accounts. He said investigators from the CIDG and the Anti-Crime Group are “now zeroing in on this person.”
“We assure the public that he will face the full force of the law for this kind of illegal activity,” he said.
Eleazar urged the public to report to the PNP information about the sale of vaccines and vaccination slots. “We assure you of our quick response.” He said vaccines are given by the government free and “any attempt to engage in selling the vaccines or vaccination slots, or be beneficiaries of these illegal activities, will only put you in trouble.”
The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) asked the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to investigate the scheme.
“We are doing this to show the public that we are serious about these things,” Abalos said.
“They are taking advantage of the pandemic. I hope that the culprit will be captured the soonest possible time.”
He said the perpetrators of the “Bakuna for Sale” scheme “could be slapped with estafa or bribery.”
He also said the supposed sale could be a scam to fleece those who are trying to find shortcuts in the vaccine priority listing. He also noted thew vaccination process has two “safety measures,” which are pre-registration for vaccine recipients and medical screening.
Olivarez, also chairman of the Metro Manila Council, said Metro Manila mayors will meet this week to discuss the alleged scheme. — With Peter Tabingo, Noel Talacay and Ashzel Hachero
