Homicide raps filed vs Noy, Garin over vaccine
Anti-corruption groups yesterday filed criminal charges against former president Benigno Aquino III and 19 others in connection with the Dengvaxia controversy.
The Volunteers Against Crime
and Corruption (VACC) and Vanguard of the Philippine Constitution Inc. (VPCI) filed a complaint of multiple homicide and physical injuries through negligence before the Department of Justice.
Meanwhile, lawyer Abigail Valte, former spokesperson under the Aquino administration, described the complaint as baseless.
Valte said Aquino is prepared to answer the charges.
Apart from Aquino, named respondents in the complaint were former budget chief Florencio Abad, health secretary Janette Garin and several former and incumbent goverment officials.
Also included in the complaint were senior executives of the French pharmaceutical firm Sanofi Pasteur, the developer and manufacturer of Dengvaxia, and Selling Pharma, supplier of the vaccine.
“The respondents should be tried for crimiDuring nal negligence as provided under Article 365 of the Revised Penal Code and charged with multiple homicide and physical injuries,” the 17-page complaint filed by VACC lawyer Manuelito Luna and suspended lawyer Eligio Mallari of VPCI read.
Apart from multiple homicide and physical injuries, the complaint also included charges of malversation and violations of Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, and RA 9184 or the Government Procurement Reform Act.
The complainants said Aquino and Abad approved the purchase of the vaccine although the program had no allocation in the 2016 national budget.
Teachers feeling guilty
Some teachers who took part in the Dengvaxia vaccination are reportedly suffering from depression, a group of health professionals said yesterday.
Eleonor Jara, convenor of the Coalition for People’s Right to Health (CPRH), said the teachers are feeling guilty for helping facilitate the anti-dengue vaccination program.
Aside from the teachers, health workers are reportedly experiencing the same guilt although they did not intend to put the children at risk, she added.
Jara urged the Department of Health to conduct counselling among those involved in the vaccination program.
More than 800,000 Grade 4 students in public schools in Metro Manila, Central Luzon, Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon) and Cebu were given Dengvaxia shots.
Although the teachers were not the ones who administered the vaccination, they were involved in the activity.