Duterte not harassing ex-president Aquino: Roque

March 16, 2018

Malacanang denied on Friday President Rodrigo Duterte was harassing former President Benigno Aquino III who is facing a complaint before the Commission on Elections due to the Dengvaxia mess.

In an interview in Facebook, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said no one was harassing the former president, who asked the Comelec to dismiss the electioneering complaint filed against him in relation to the Dengvaxia controversy.

"No one is harassing him because the position of the president is to allow the investigation to be completed," he said.

Roque noted that Duterte is waiting for the recommendation of the Senate, which conducted an investigation over the multi-billion peso anti-dengue vaccination, which started during the Aquino administration, and the result of the probe by the National Bureau of Investigation.

Roque said Duterte never said anything against Aquino in the past.

"Who is harassing him? Not the president. The president has always been level-headed. Let the investigation proceeds and we will act after the investigation," he added.

The Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption, whose officials are allies of Duterte, filed the complaint against Aquino and former Health Secretary Janette Garin for the purchase of Dengvaxia  months before the May 2016 elections.

But according to Aquino, the purchase order for Dengvaxia was made more than two weeks before the start of election ban on March 25, 2016.

Thus, Aquino has said the complaint was pure harassment. Celerina Monte/DMS