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Garin, Duque brush off new complaints over alleged Dengvaxia-linked deaths
Iloilo Representative Janette Garin and Health Secretary Francisco Duque III on Wednesday defended themselves from the new complaints filed against them by nearly 100 families over deaths allegedly linked to Dengvaxia.
In a press briefing of the minority bloc, Garin called the filing of complaints a public relations stunt of antivaxxers or people opposed to vaccination.
“PR stunt po ng mga anti-vaxxers o ‘yung mga hindi naniniwala sa bakuna ang nangyari,” said Garin, who was the Health secretary when the dengue vaccine product was used in the country.
“Science and the world repeatedly proven that the dengue vaccine is safe and effective,” she said.
In an interview on Super Radyo dzBB, Duque said including him in the complaints has no basis. He added that the Department of Justice (DOJ) already dismissed the previous complaints filed against him.
“Dinala nila sa DOJ 'yan, last year pa dinismiss na ng DOJ ‘yung sa akin na sinama nila ako doon sa nauna. Wala namang batayan. Hindi naman ako kasama doon sa nagdesisyon diyan (sa Dengvaxia),” he said.
However, Duque acknowledged the sentiments of the grieving families who filed the complaints.
On Wednesday, the Public Attorney's Office, which represents the families, brought two truckloads of documents as evidence to back up their 99 new complaints filed at the DOJ.
PAO chief Persida Rueda-Acosta said two more complaints will follow, for a total of 101, in the sixth batch of complaints blaming children's deaths on the vaccine.
Before this, the PAO had filed almost 60 complaints.
Like in the previous batches, the complainants in the new filings accused Duque, Garin, and dozens of other respondents of reckless imprudence resulting in homicide, and violation of the anti-torture law, the Consumer Act.
There was an additional allegation of violation of the Pharmacy Act in the new batch of complaints.
Prosecutors earlier indicted Garin and several others on similar complaints filed by other families who had alleged that their children died because of the effects of Dengvaxia.
Those charged in court included officials of the Department of Health (DOH) and executives of vaccine maker Sanofi Pasteur.
In response to the issue, DOH said the alleged connection between the vaccine and the deaths has not been proven, and some experts have faulted the PAO for its "vague," "non-specific," and supposedly inconclusive autopsy findings.—AOL, GMA News
