DoH welcomes Dengvaxia probe

As if criticisms on COVID-19 response were not enough, the Department of Health (DoH) is under fire anew for the handling of the Dengvaxia issue.

The DoH said it is open to and willing to cooperate with any investigation after Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) chief Persida Acosta again threatened to file cases against Secretary Francisco Duque III, former secretary Janette Garin (now Iloilo congresswoman) and executives of manufacturer Sanofi Pasteur on the death of over 100 schoolchildren due to the Dengvaxia vaccine.

Among the possible charges is violation of Republic Act (RA) 9745 or the Anti-Torture Act of 2009, which Acosta said is non-bailable and subject to the penalty of reclusion perpetua (permanent imprisonment).

RA 9745 penalizes physical acts by persons in authority or their agents that cause “severe pain, exhaustion, disability or dysfunction.”

“We always say that all investigations are welcome and we will cooperate,” DoH spokesperson Maria Rosario Vergeire said. “We are more than willing to cooperate in official courts as all the documents will be assessed in accordance with the law.”

In February, the Department of Justice, for the second time, found probable cause to charge Garin and Sanofi officials over their “inexcusable lack of precaution” on the assessment of the vaccine which led to the death of children who had no history of dengue.

Duque was cleared from any involvement but PAO insisted that the Dengvaxia vaccination went on until 2018 when he was the acting DoH chief.