The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) is stopping its probe into personnel of the Presidential Security Group (PSG) who have been injected with smuggled vaccines, the AFP announced on Tuesday, January 5.

“The AFP Chief General Gilbert Gapay has called off the scheduled fact-finding investigation today on the vaccination of some PSG personnel,” the AFP said in a statement. (READ: Some Duterte Cabinet officials, soldiers are already vaccinated)

Why was it called off?

According to the AFP, they stopped the probe “[in light] of the recent pronouncement of the Commander-in-Chief and President Rodrigo Duterte.”

The AFP was referring to Duterte ordering the PSG on Monday, January 4, not to cooperate with investigations, saying that he would go as far as barring the PSG from attending congressional probes.

Why does this matter?

The military’s decision shows its own cooperation with its Commander-in-Chief, who is blocking any criminal accountability to come out of the vaccine smuggling issue.

This is not the first time Duterte has ordered uniformed personnel not to cooperate in probes. Earlier in his term, Duterte ordered the Philippine National Police not to share documents with human rights investigators, also shielding them from criminal probes in his popular but bloody anti-drug campaign. – Rappler.com