Draft report also recommends filing of charges against PCMC officials, others
By Meanne Corvera
Eagle News Service
Former President Benigno Aquino III, his Health Secretary Janette Garin and his Budget Secretary Florencio Abad “conspired” to purchase the P3.5-billion Dengvaxia vaccine for use in a mass vaccination, and should therefore be charged for violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
This was one of the initial findings of the Senate blue ribbon committee, which, after conducting a series of hearings on the Dengvaxia mess, also recommended in a draft report the filing of charges against Dr. Julius Lecciones, Dr. Kenneth Hartigan-Go, Dr. Lourdes Santiagoa, Dr. Melody Zamueio, Dr. Joyce Ducusin and Dr. Mario Bawuilod of the Philippine Children’s Medical Center.
The panel also initially recommended that perjury charges be filed against Dr Lyndon Lee Suy, then-head of the immunization program of the DOH, for his alleged wrong testimony given in the Senate.
According to the draft report, the program, which was fast-tracked, was deliberately implemented before the May 2016 elections.
Senator Richard Gordon, panel chair, said the purchase of the vaccine was in violation of the law in the first place since the funds used for that purpose did not pass through Congress’ scrutiny.
“Thus was our bureaucracy regulatorily captured and rendered inutile. Whenever Aquino and Garin met with Sanofi, the bureaucracy offered no resistance at all, following meekly as lambs, with DOH acting like runaway train to the point that Usec Hartigan-Go categorically testified during the hearings that ‘a political decision to allot the budget from the national agencies’ savings was already made by higher committee’,” Gordon said.
In a statement, Abigail Valte, Aquino’s spokesperson, said the former president would “continue to face whatever additional complaints are filed” in connection with the incident.
“President Aquino has always demonstrated his readiness to answer questions about his decisions as president. His consistent participation in legislative investigations and other venues shows this,” she said.
Over 800,000 were administered the Dengvaxia vaccine under the government’s program.