ILOILO City – Former Health secretary and now Iloilo 1st District congresswoman Dr. Janette Garin wants the Ombudsman to review the complaint filed against her and four others over the Dengvaxia anti-dengue vaccine.
Citing a 152-page resolution by the Office of the Ombudsman, “there is probable cause” to file graft and technical malversation charges against Garin and four other former and incumbent officials of the Department of Health (DOH) relative to the P3.5-billion dengue mass vaccination program during the Aquino administration, according to a report by The Philippine Star.
Garin said she was surprised upon learning about the case through a news because she was not aware of it.
“Nakalagay nga doon nagkaroon ng probable cause for a conspiracy case. Unang-una hindi namin alam na such case was filed so we are not aware of a pending case. Pangalawa, gulat na gulat kami dahil hindi naman kami pinasagot nga Office of the Ombudsman,” said Garin in a video statement through Bombo Radyo Iloilo over the weekend.
The four others also recommended to be charged with graft were DOH officer-in-charge director Maria Joyce Ducusin, Undersecretary Gerardo Bayugo, former undersecretary Kenneth Hartigan-Go, and Philippine Children’s Medical Center (PCMC) executive director Julius Lecciones.
For now, Garin said they are waiting for an official notice from the Ombudsman regarding the case. Nevertheless, she noted they already sought advice from their lawyers and they are going to file a motion to reinvestigate the matter “because we were deprived of a due process or our constitutional rights.”
“Hindi namin alam kung ano ang naging basehan nila ng pag-file nang sinasabing conspiracy case because the term conspiracy is actually a term repeated claim of anti-vaxxers. So dito na pumapasok na siguro….ang nag-submit ng dokumento ay karaniwang mga anti-vaxxers na sinasabi nga nila na masama ang bakuna. In fact, this is also the same allegation against COVID vaccine at nag-file rin ang anti-vaxxers ng kaso against other current DOH officials who implemented the COVID vaccinations,” she added.
The former DOH official lamented this is really part of their risk as vaccination experts but they are all willing to answer the charges against them.
She also maintained the dengue vaccine is safe, citing the manufacturer, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) were the ones who gave permission for its use and not the DOH.
“Safe ba ‘yung bakuna? Yes. Because that is accepted globally. Twenty-five years pinagdaanan ng pag-aaral and even WHO has classified it as something that the government should made available at all times. Ang nakikita namin dito ay medyo merong konting disconnect at indi nagkakaitindihan,” she added./PN
