DOH officials face raps over Dengvaxia

MANILA — Known allies of President Rodrigo Duterte have filed misconduct, gross negligence raps against several Department of Health officials over the Dengvaxia vaccine controversy.

Members of the Vanguard of Philippine Constitution Inc. and Volunteers against Crime and Corruption asked the Office of the President to demand accountability from DOH executives for their roles in implementing the controversial anti-Dengue vaccine.

The two groups asked for the dismissal of the following DOH officials Undersecretary Carol Tanio, Undersecretary Gerardo Bayugo, Undersecretary Lilibeth David, Undersecretary Mario Villaverde, Assistant Secretary Lyndon Lee Suy, Assistant Secretary Nestor Santiago, Financial and Management Service Director Laureano Cruz, Officer-in-Charge Director Joyce Ducusin, Officer-inCharge Mar Wynn Bello, Director Leonila Gorgolon, Rio Magpantay, Ariel Valencia, and Director Julius Lecciones.

The VPCI and VACC alleged that the respondents are "guilty of grave misconduct and gross negligence for illadvisedly, thoughtlessly, or imprudently implementing School-Based Immunization of Tetravalent Dengue Vaccine of the DOH in the NCR, Calabarzon and Central Luzon."

"Regardless of the number of deaths ensuing from the use or administration of the Dengvaxia vaccine, [respondents'] utter disregard of medical protocols and substantive law implicate them to the Dengvaxia fiasco and for which they should be held to account," the 13-page complaint read.

They also asked the OP to "preventively suspend all the respondents pendente lite (during litigation)" to bar implicated respondents from "destroying, hiding or tampering with the evidence as well as intimidating potential witnesses against them, or otherwise obstructing justice."

In December last year, the DOH suspended the antidengue vaccine program due to "potential risk to patients who have not had dengue prior to immunization." Over 830,000 school children have received the vaccine from April 2016 to December 2017.

A panel of medical experts from the University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital last week released a report that state that three out of 14 death cases being investigated can be attributed to dengue.

The group of experts also reiterated a call to leave the examination of bodies and autopsies to competent forensic pathologists.

ASSOCIATED PRESS Eric John Vital, 12, holds his vaccination record as he joins other protesters at a rally outside the Department of Health to demand accountability to government officials involved in the controversial immunization of the anti-dengue vaccine Dengvaxia...