President Rodrigo Duterte may have himself vaccinated with COVID-19 vaccine manufactured by Chinese company Sinopharm despite having no emergency use authorization by the Food and Drug Administration, Malacanang said on Thursday.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, in a televised press briefing, noted that the Presidential Security Group has been asking FDA for the "compassionate use license" for Sinopharm.

Once the FDA grants the license for Sinopharm based on the PSG's request, "it's being studied if the compassionate use license can be a basis for the President, who is after all the (commander-in-chief) of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, if he can enter on the compassionate use clause for Sinopharm."

Roque said the FDA has not yet approved the PSG's request for compassionate use license for Sinopharm.

Last year, the PSG leadership admitted that some of the close-in security personnel of the President were vaccinated with Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine.

Malacanang justified that the purpose of the PSG members' inoculation was a national security concern as there was a need to protect the health of Duterte.

The government is expecting the arrival of the first batch of COVID-19 vaccine from Sinovac, another Chinese manufacturing company, on February 28.

Despite the expected arrival of Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine, Roque earlier said that Duterte prefers Sinopharm.

FDA's granting of emergency use for Sinovac, however, included the advice that such brand might only be used to 18 to 59-year-old healthy individuals and not to healthcare workers due to low efficacy rate of 50.3 percent.

But despite the FDA recommendation, Roque said health workers and others are not prohibited from using Sinovac vaccine.

"So, it's up to the President if he wants to be injected with Sinovac, although he has expressed preference for Sinopharm," he said. Celerina Monte/DMS