(Eagle News) — The Philippine National Police has subpoenaed the person behind the viral messages guaranteeing vaccine slots for a fee.
In a statement, the PNP said PNP Chief General Guillermo Eleazar exercised his power under Republic Act No. 10973.
Under the law, apart from the PNP chief, the PNP deputy director for administration and the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group chief can issue subpoenas in relation to a police probe that is high-profile in nature.
“At least, isang tao na ang kilala na ng PNP na sangkot dito kaya ang tamang gawin niya ay pumunta sa aking opisina upang magbigay linaw sa isyung ito. Huwag ka nang makipaglaro ng taguan sa ating mga kapulisan (At least one person has been identified by the PNP as involved in this activity so it would be better for him to come to my office and shed light on this issue. Don’t play hide and seek with our police force),” Eleazar said in a video posted on Facebook.
Earlier, the PNP said it had identified the person behind the messages, which guaranteed vaccine slots in Mandaluyong and San Juan City for a fee ranging from P10,000 to P15,000.
The PNP said, however, that the person, who offered the slot to a high school friend through a social media messaging app, has already deactivated his accounts.
“Hindi katanggap-tanggap ang ganitong uri ng gawain, totoo man o hindi (This activity is unacceptable, even if it’s true or not),” Eleazar said, as he urged the public to report any such incidents to the police so they would be immediately investigated.