Charges filed vs Aquino, aides, Sanofi executives
who “participated, directly or indirectly, in the acts complained of.”
Sought for comment, Abigail Valte, who was deputy presidential spokeswoman during the Aquino government, said in a text message that “[t]he former president’s attendance at the senate committee hearing has proven one thing: he takes accountability seriously and will continue to answer any and all allegations thrown at him.”
The complainants — parents, Gabriela Women’s Party Representatives Emerenciana de Jesus and Arlene Brosas, Joan May Salvador of Gabriela and Madella Santiago — accused the respondents of violating Sections 3(e) and 3(g) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
“As former President, Respondent Benigno Simeon C. Aquino, has power and control over the affairs of the State and the acts and decisions of his Cabinet members and feign ignorance and claim that he made the decision to unburden his ‘bosses’ from the dreaded disease. The fact remains that whether he - sound judgment or discretion, the lives of more than 800,000 children are now at risk because of his acts,” the complainants alleged in part in the complaint.
“It must be noted that in 2015 when Respondents decided to purchase the vaccine and took positive actions to ensure that funds therefore are available, it bears stressing to note and cost-efficiency of the vaccine have been made as it was only in January of 2016 that the FEC met to discuss the same,” they alleged.
FEC is the Formulary Executive Committee of the Department of Health.
‘Manifestly disadvantageous’
The complainants alleged that “[ t] he complained acts of the Respondent also caused injury to the minor-Complainants as well as to the other children who were inoculated with Dengvaxia.”
“The contract was manifestly disadvantageous to the government. Respondents’ liability is underlined that the vaccine ... ex poses to severe dengue those who have not contracted dengue prior to vaccination,” the complainants also alleged.
Dengue, which is transmitted through the Aedes aegypti mosquito, is an acute viral infection that may result in death if left untreated.
of Dengvaxia, released belated additional information on the vaccine in late November, saying Dengvaxia “provides persistent protective ben who had prior infection.”
“For those not previously in- fected by dengue virus, however, the analysis found that in the longer term, more cases of severe disease could occur following vaccination upon a subsequent dengue infection,” it said.
The DoH ordered the suspension of the program after Sanofi’s statement.
The DoH has formed a task force to monitor and attend to the health of those who were vaccinated.
“`Yung takot ko `yung mawala `yung anak ko nu’ng katulad sa Mariveles, iyon ang nakakatakot,” a parent of a child who was vaccinated with Dengvaxia told reporters, referring to an alleged death due to the vaccine in Mariveles, Bataan.
The child, who was present during the filing of the complaint on Friday, told reporters that she had fever after she was vaccinated and that she had rashes when her fever was gone.
‘Govt should provide free medical services’
Also on Friday, Gabriela asked the of the Executive department to provide free medical services and treatment to children injected with the controversial anti-dengue Dengvaxia vaccine.
In a 42-page petition for mandamus, the high court was asked by de Jesus and the Association for the Rights of Children in South- east Asia ( Arcsea) to direct the government agencies to publicly disseminate on a regular basis the report of the task force formed and designated to monitor and review the school-based immunization program involving Dengvaxia and submit it to the House of Representatives and Senate Committees on Health for monitoring.
Named respondents to the case were Health Secretary Francisco Duque, Interior Acting Secretary Catalino Cuy and Education Secretary Leonor Magtolis Briones. Also included in the list were DoHNational Center for Disease Prevention and Control Program director Lyndon Lee Suy and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Director General Nela Charade Puno.
“These free medical services shall continue until it would have been determined and declared by competent and medical and/or brought about by the Dengvaxia vaccine have been minimized or eliminated,” the petition stated.
Petitioners pointed out that this issue was “of transcendental importance.”
“The horrors and risks being posed right now by the vaccine, which has been haphazardly administered to around 800,000 children, should be enough for the justices to act with urgency on our petition,” de Jesus stressed.