Draft Dengvaxia report: Aquino, Abad, Garin ‘criminally liable’

Former Philippine President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III and his Cabinet officials should be held criminally liable for the Dengvaxia mess, according to a draft report by the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee.

The committee is recommending the prosecution of Aquino and his officials “for all the tragedy, damage and possible deaths” resulting from his administration’s scrapped P3.5 billion dengue vaccination program.

Senate Blue Ribbon Committee Chair Richard Gordon presented the draft report on Wednesday, April 11.

“Former President Aquino is responsible because he caused the purchase of Dengvaxia and in the process caused irreversible damage, possibly death, to children, [and] anxiety, sleepless nights, unnecessary expense on the part of the parents and guardians,” he said.

“The greatest sin and transgression of Aquino was to put the lives of Filipino children in grave peril. He simply did not care. Manhid siya at walang malasakit (He’s insensitive and lacks compassion),” the senator added.

The committee is recommending Aquino to be charged with violation of Republic Act 3019, or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, as well as Republic Act 6713 or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees.

Also tagged as “primary conspirators” in the procurement of the controversial vaccine were former Budget Secretary Florencio Abad and former Health Secretary Janette Garin.

“Aquino, Garin, Abad and other officials are primary conspirators and must be held criminally liable… and must be prosecuted for all the tragedy, damage and possible deaths” resulting from the Dengvaxia mass vaccination program,”  Gordon said.

Some 830,000 Filipino children were administered Dengvaxia under the dengue immunization program implemented by the Aquino administration in April 2016.

The program was immediately suspended late last year, following an advisory that the vaccine poses health risk when administered on a person who has not been previously infected with the virus. Some parents claimed that their children died because of the vaccine.

The committee, in its draft report, said that the government’s purchase of the vaccine was done with “undue haste” and “without adequate research on the background and track record of the supplier, Sanofi-Pasteur.”

“He (Aquino) ordered to buy it even if it was not in the 2015 budget,” Gordon said.

Reacting on the draft Senate committee report, Aquino remarked: “What should we expect from the Dick Gordon show?”

The former president noted that the fund for Dengvaxia was obligated in 2016.

“Kelan nag-warn yung Sanofi? Ano yung sinabi nila ng umpisa? Wala yan downside na yan, walang danger. (When did Sano issued the warning? What did they say earlier? That is has no downside, no danger),” Aquino was quoted saying in an Inquirer report.

He also denied that the approval of the Dengvaxia funds was done in “undue haste,” pointing out that his administration was “waiting for this vaccine as early as 2010 or for that matter we’re waiting for any other tool that can be used against dengue.”