File murder raps in Dengvaxia – Duterte

MANILA, Philippines — President Duterte has directed the Department of Justice (DOJ) to look into the criminal liability of officials who implemented the multibillion-peso Dengvaxia anti-dengue vaccination program during the past administration, including the possibility of filing murder charges.

A former prosecutor, Duterte reportedly asked the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC) why it did not file multiple murder charges against former president Benigno Aquino III and other officials in connection with the program.

“It is not about being vindictive against the past administration. This is about justice,” a source said, quoting the President as saying during a meeting last Thursday in Malacañang.

Judging from the alarm caused by the vaccine failure, Duterte said the safety of the general public should have been the major concern of the officials who ordered the implementation of the program.

Duterte presided over the closed-door meeting attended by officials of the Presidential Anti-Graft Commission (PAGC), Public Attorney’s Office (PAO), DOJ and VACC.

Last December, former Technical Education and Skills Development Authority chief Augusto Syjuco filed mass murder and plunder charges, along with other crimes, against former health secretary Janette Garin before the Office of the Ombudsman.

As this developed, presidential spokesman Harry Roque Jr. said the President wanted all officials involved in the Dengvaxia controversy to be accountable for the mess.

Duterte made clear his stand during the meeting attended by Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II, VACC chairman and concurrent head of PAGC Dante Jimenez and PAO chief Persida Acosta.

Duterte also directed all government hospitals to look after the welfare of the recipients of the Dengvaxia vaccine, especially if they get sick and need medical attention.

The President has given his go signal for officials probing the Dengvaxia case to tap the expertise of foreign pathologists and build their complaint against French manufacturer Sanofi Pasteur as well as government officials who consented to the procurement of the vaccine.

However, Malacañang appealed to the public not to lose trust in other government programs related to vaccination.

Roque said Malacañang understands the concerns of parents but urged them to weigh the benefits of getting vaccinated against other types of diseases.

For its part, the Department of Health (DOH) is partnering with the World Health Organization (WHO) in investigating future “adverse events” related to the Dengvaxia vaccination campaign.

According to DOH Undersecretary Eric Domingo, they will continue to work with the expert panel of the University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) but they also want WHO to be part of the team.

“We are seeking guidance from the WHO so we can continue the process in investigating the adverse effects of Dengvaxia.  We want to work with them,” Domingo told reporters.

A 10-member panel of experts from UP-PGH has recently released the results of its clinical reviews on the deaths of 14 schoolchildren who died after being vaccinated with Dengvaxia.

Domingo said as of Feb. 2, they have documented a total of 29 deaths and they intend to continue the probe with WHO.

He, however, noted that the UP-PGH expert panel would have to be adequately equipped because the impact of Dengvaxia may last for years.

Domingo maintained that the panel members are also loaded with responsibility as experts in their own fields so they could not focus on Dengvaxia issues alone. 

“We have to capacitate because we may see one or two (adverse events) in the next three to four years.  Maybe it won’t be the 10 initial members but new members.  But training is needed on this (very difficult algorithm),” he added.

Domingo was referring to WHO’s Algorithm for Causality Assessment of Adverse Events Following Immunization (AEFI) – a systematic, scientifically sound, and universally accepted proof of assessing causality of events following any vaccination.

AEFI was used by the UP-PGH panel in assessing the clinical records of the 14 vaccinated children.

“We have to continue monitoring all adverse effects and then (we’ll) get a clearer picture in the next few years,” he maintained.

Meanwhile, Acosta lamented in an interview with ANC’s Headstart that PAO had received “shabby treatment” from the DOH, so they are not sharing information with the department and Health Secretary Francisco Duque III.

Duque, Acosta claimed, leaned favorably toward the UP-PGH panel of experts.

The PAO chief also questioned the impartiality of former health secretary Esperanza Cabral who serves in one of the foundations of Zuellig Pharma, the distributor of Dengvaxia in the country.

Cabral had accused PAO of sowing fear and panic especially among parents of schoolchildren who received Dengvaxia.

A total of 17 children have already been autopsied by the PAO.

“This is a medico-legal case. From the point of view of a lawyer, we can say that there is a strong link (between Dengvaxia and the cause of death)” Acosta said.

Duque reiterated yesterday his assurance that he would not hesitate to take action against any official of the DOH who will be found responsible for the Dengvaxia mess.

In an interview, Duque said he would not tolerate any form of irregularity at the DOH. – With Sheila Crisostomo, Romina Cabrera