MANILA NABS 6 CHINA VACCINE SCAMMERS
They sought early inoculations with fake documents, say cops
SIX Chinese nationals and three Filipinos were caught here for attempting to get early Covid-19 vaccinations through fraudulent means, the Philstar.com news portal reports.
They were in the queue for people with comorbidities and had fake medical documents when they were apprehended at the Sergio Osmeña High School in Tondo, here on Sunday.
Manila police director Brigadier General Leo Francisco said the Manila Health Department saw through the ruse as the suspects had dubious prescriptions and medical certificates.
“Some of them were tourists,” Francisco said, adding that police will confirm with the Bureau of Immigration and the Chinese embassy the status of the Chinese nationals before filing a case.
Representative Ronnie Ong said unscrupulous people were using fake identities and claiming to be persons with disability to get on the vaccination priority list.
Ong urged the government to crack down on fraudsters trying to get vaccinations ahead of the queue.
More than a year since the start of the pandemic, the government views vaccines as the best solution to the crisis, Interior Undersecretary Epimaco Densing III said.
“We accept criticism and we are doing our best. Again, this is a problem which has no solution at hand.
“We do not know how the problem will move. We have no direct solutions right now except the vaccines, and people need to be a part of the solution itself,” Densing said.