By Camille Diola

Good morning.

Today's briefing is about President Duterte's inoculation for COVID-19 and why it means more than just getting the shot. Plus, the country's top diplomat foregoing Twitter tact.

Little injection as presidential pardon

President Duterte who's 76 finally received a COVID-19 vaccine shot. Thing is, the dosage he received is not on the approved list of the Food and Drug Administration.

What happened: A Facebook Live airing last night shows Health Secretary Duque administering Sinopharm vaccine to Duterte.

The first dose, Malacañang said, is covered by the FDA's compassionate use permit issued to the Presidential Security Group in February.

Why it matters: Smuggling is an outright violation of customs law but Duterte's use of Sinopharm's drug shot by Duque himself is seen as a tacit imprimatur on the smuggling of vaccines earlier this year, which was supposed to be probed by both the DOH and the FDA.

Vaccine priority rules were also skirted as members of his security entourage plus a few Cabinet officials and lawmakers took smuggled jabs. No one has been held responsible for the violations.
 

Going off corps

Foreign Affairs Secretary Teddy Locsin Jr. doesn't find the repeat filing of diplomatic protests a strong enough statement for a top diplomat.

Yesterday, he fired off his objections on Twitter and they were not exactly worded the way the esteemed diplomatic corps would imagine:

"China, my friend, how politely can I put it? Let me see... O... GET THE FUCK OUT."

Giphy

Zoom out: Locsin, who often uses expletives on the social networking site, was visibly frustrated over the continuing presence of Chinese vessels in the West Philippine Sea. "Usual suave diplomatic speak gets nothing done," he tweeted.

In new diplomatic protests, the DFA accused China's coastguard of "belligerent actions" against Filipino civilian vessels near Scarborough Shoal.
 

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