Where is President Benigno Aquino and former Budget Secretary Florencio “Butch” Abad in the criminal complaint related to the Dengvaxia scandal, a senator asked the Department of Justice (DoJ) yesterday.
Gordon, who has been overseeing the probe on the P3.5 billion purchases of anti-dengue vaccines, said he was “a bit disappointed” with the DoJ complaint.
“The DoJ did not delve into the aspect of procurement and the reckless deed there was that they purchased medicines that they are not sure of,” the senator added.
The DoJ resolution made public Friday found probable cause to indict former health secretary Janette Garin and several others for reckless imprudence resulting in homicide in connection with the deaths of eight children allegedly due to the controversial dengue vaccine.
Gordon, chairman of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, said the DoJ should have looked into the “involvement of (former) President Aquino, Abad and company.”
“If you will examine that investigation, you’ll notice that the transaction for the purchases of Dengvaxia speeds up whenever Aquino is present,” he said on radio.
Among the instances Gordon cited was Aquino’s trip to Paris to meet with officials from Sanofi Pasteur, which manufactured and distributed the vaccine, just months before the May 2016 presidential elections.
SARO came fast
Gordon noted a Special Allotment Release Order for the Dengvaxia purchases was immediately released following the Paris meetings.
“How do you explain the fact that the President met with Sanofi (officials) three times and if there is a measure on the speed of the negotiations, it always speeds up after the President’s meeting,” he said.
“So what transpired was that they purchased a medicine that was not needed and is now banned by the Department of Health (DoH). Dengvaxia was not used and furious debates ensued,” Gordon added.
The senator, however, admitted there is still no conclusive scientific evidence to prove that Dengvaxia was to blame for the deaths of those inoculated.
“But, definitely, the procurement was wrong and the circumstances behind it created a hysteria which was entirely lamentable,” he said.
“Spent was P3.5 billion. It seems that they merely looked for an excuse to use the money which resulted in the illegal procurement,” Gordon added.
If convicted, Garin and her co-accused could face a penalty of up to six years of imprisonment.
Retribution time
In its resolution, the DoJ said state prosecutors found Garin and the other respondents “exhibited ‘inexcusable lack of precaution and foresight’ when they facilitated, with undue haste, ‘the registration and purchase of Dengvaxia’ and used the vaccine in implementing a school-based dengue mass immunization program.”
“The panel found sufficient evidence that Garin and the other respondents circumvented various regulations in the purchase of P3.5 billion worth of Dengvaxia vaccine which constituted proof of their reckless imprudence,” the statement said.
The prosecutors also found cause to charge nine other officials from the DoH, two from the Food and Drug Administration, two from the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine and six from vaccine maker Sanofi Pasteur for the same offense.
Stop politicization
Following the DoJ complaint, Malacañang appealed to involved parties to refrain from discussing the issue publicly and just let the legal process take its course.
“The wheels of justice have begun to grind for the victims and families of children who died allegedly because of the Dengvaxia vaccine with the DoJ finding probable cause to charge former officials responsible for the failed immunization program initiated during their time,” presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said.
“Now that the legal process has taken its course, we wish everyone would finally stop politicizing the issue in the court of public opinion, noting that such exercise has only caused an unnecessary fear on the part of parents for good and creditworthy health programs of the government to the detriment of innocent children,” he added.
“As for the defendants, they should welcome this latest development as an opportunity to clear their names and raise whatever defense they have in relation to the matter before a court of law,” the spokesman said.
“We will not interfere in the proceedings save for the DoJ which is mandated by law to prosecute accused felons,” he added.
Panelo also called on the public to stop seeing political color in the case.
“Now that the legal process has taken its course, we wish everyone would finally stop politicizing the issue in the court of public opinion, noting that such exercise has only caused an unnecessary fear on the part of parents for good and creditworthy health programs of the government to the detriment of innocent children,” Panelo said.
source: tribune.net
Comments
