Duque, Garin to face more charges over vaccine deaths

The Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) has filed more criminal charges at the Department of Justice (DoJ) against Health Secretary Francisco Duque, his predecessor Janette Garin, and several others in connection with Dengvaxia-related deaths.PAO chief Persida Rueda-Acosta yesterday assisted family members of 10 alleged casualties of the vaccine in filing 10 counts of reckless imprudence resulting in multiple homicide, torture, and violations of the Consumer Protection Act (Republic Act 7394), particularly “defective product” and “mislabelled product,” against Duque, Garin, other health officials, and officials and personnel of vaccine manufacturer Sanofi Pasteur, and its distributor Zuellig Pharma.One of the victims was Senior Police Officer 2 Vicente Arugay who was represented by his wife Mary Jane. Complainants from Cebu province included Wilson and Theresa Alcontin, Eleazar Brigoli Sr, Jiny Casona and Marilyn Teleron, Erwin and Judelin Apa, Domingo and Luzviminda Cortes, Marlon and Damasajuevesano, and Argel Sam and Lara Nina Garces.The other complainants were Antonio and Rosalinda Castroverde of Valenzuela City and Rey and Jessica Viaros of Sariaya, Quezon Province.Duque was charged in particular with obstruction of justice by Arugay and Viaros for alleged violation of  Section 1B of Presidential Decree 1829 or Obstruction of Apprehension and Prosecution of Criminal Offenders for his continued refusal to give the list of those inoculated with Dengvaxia.Also charged were Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officials and personnel Vicente Belizario Jr, Kenneth Hartigan-Go, Gerardo Bayugo, Lyndon Lee Suy, Irma Asuncion, Julius Lecciones, Joyce Ducusin, Rosalind Vianzon, Maria Lourdes Santiago, and Melody Zamudio; Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) officials Socorro Lupisan and Maria Rosario Capeding; Sanofi corporate directors and officers Carlito Realuyo, Sanislas Camart, Jean Louis Grunwald, Jean-Francois Vacherand, Conchita Santos, Jazel Anne Calvo, Pearl Grace Cabali, and Marie Esther de Antoni; and Zuellig’s Kasigod Jamias, Michael Becker, Ricardo Romulo, Imran Babar Chugtai, Raymund Azurin, Nilo Badiola, John Stokes Davison, Marc Franck, Ashley Gerard Antonio, Ana Liza Peralta, Rosa Maria Chua, Danilo Cahoy, Manuel Concio 3rd, Roland Goco and Ma. Visitacion Barreiro.In February this year, the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption and Vanguard of the Philippine Constitution Inc. filed charges at the DoJ against Garin, former president Benigno Aquino  and former Budget secretary Florencio Abad for their alleged involvement in the purchase of P3.5bn worth of Dengvaxia and the implementation of a massive vaccination programme under which more than 800,000 school children were inoculated with the anti-dengue vaccine.They were charged with technical malversation for conspiring to unlawfully effect the release of savings from the fiscal year 2015 Mutual Benefit Personnel Fund and use the same to augment the anti-dengue immunisation programme.The respondents were also charged with multiple homicide and physical injuries through negligence under the Revised Penal Code by the family of the victims of the deadly vaccine.