Witness links Garin to Dengvaxia mess
The ‘decision makers’ who pushed for the mass inoculation of the anti-dengue experimental vaccine
Dengvaxia in 2016 were former Health secretary and now Iloilo Rep. Janette Garin and other ranking agency executives.
Dr. Clarito Cairo Jr., the Department of Health’s Disease Control and Prevention Bureau project manager, made the revelation when he was presented by Deputy Chief Prosecutor Irene Resurrecion-Medrano before Judge Lily Ann Marcos-Padaen of Branch 13, a family court.
The trial was in connection with the criminal cases filed by the families and relatives of the first batch of eight school children whose deaths were linked to Dengvaxia. Resurrecion-Medrano, prior to conducting his direct examination of Cairo regarding his sworn affidavit, presented and marked as part of the prosecution evidence, has argued about the decision of the judge to strike out some questions and answers under the said judicial affidavit. The prosecution panel believed that the judge should have allowed them to examine the complete testimony of the DoH official in an open court since the defense lawyers would have all the time to object which may also be sustained by the judge if she wishes to do so.
However, the lady judge, who replaced Judge Jose Bautista of Branch 107 after the latter inhibited from handling the controversial case, prevailed.
During the presentation of Cairo, the prosecution asked him who directed him as well as other DoH officials to carry out the mass vaccination that began in 2016, he then mentioned names of top department officials led by Garin being at the DoH helm at the time.
A three-page document regarding DoH Personnel Order 2017-3767 was also presented by the prosecution, bearing the logo of the ‘Office of the Secretary’ and signed by then Undersecretary Gerardo Bayugo, that authorized him and other department officials and personnel “to participate in the external program assessment of the National Dengue Prevention and Control Program on 18 to 21 October 18- (exclusive of travel time) in Island Cove Hotel, Kawit, Cavite.”
Cairo in his affidavit, said that the concerned DoH officials during Garin’s time had withheld from them about Dengvaxias’ four fatal serious adverse effects, namely, neurotropism, viscerotropism, severe dengue and anaphylaxis, which were disclosed by its manufacturer, French multi-national pharmaceutical company Sanofi Pasteur, before the Food and Drug Administration.
The lady solon which was the principal respondent in separate multiple criminal and civil cases filed against her and other accused including former Health secretary Francisco Duque III, was arraigned on July last year but the court entered a “not guilty” plea for her.
Garin’s arraignment and her co-accused had been delayed for some time after she questioned the jurisdiction of the family court over the criminal cases filed against them since the minors who were the victims had already died.
Garin, Duque and 37 others are separately facing criminal charges before the Department of Justice as well as civil charges filed before a QC court for the death of over 160 schoolchildren who were allegedly inoculated with the controversial anti-dengue vaccine.