Panel of prosecutors formed to investigate criminal charges vs Aquino, others on Dengvaxia

February 26, 2018

The justice department has formed a panel of prosecutors Monday to investigate criminal charges filed against former President Benigno Aquino III and 19 others for the reported deaths and serious illnesses of children inoculated with the anti-dengue Dengvaxia vaccine.

In Office Order No. 439, the justice department through Prosecutor General Jorge Catalan Jr. created a panel of prosecutors to conduct preliminary investigation on the complaint filed by anti-corruption groups Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC) and Vanguard of the Philippine Constitution Inc. (VPCI) earlier this month.

Catalan named four prosecutors to conduct the probe and find out if evidence exists to pin down Aquino and other respondents on the Dengvaxia case.

The VACC and VPCI filed their complaint for multiple homicide and physical injuries, malversation of public funds, and violations of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, and  Government Procurement Reform Act against Aquino, former and incumbent officials of the Department of Health, and pharmaceutical firms Sanofi Pasteur and Zuellig.

Also named respondents were former Budget and Management Secretary Florencio Abad; former Health Secretary Janette Garin; incumbent Health Undersecretaries Carol Tanio, Gerardo Bayugo, Lilibeth David and Mario Villaverde; former retired undersecretaries Nemesio Gako, Vicente Belizario Jr. and Kenneth Hartigan-Go; assistant secretaries Lyndon Lee Suy and Nestor Santiago; former financial management service director Laureano Cruz; incumbent DOH directors Joyce Ducusin, May Wynn Belo, Leonila Gorgolon, Rio Magpantay, Ariel Valencia and Julius Lecciones; and Garin's former executive assistant Yolanda Oliveros.

Also in the charge sheet were the senior executives of French pharmaceutical firm Sanofi Pasteur, the developer and manufacturer of Dengvaxia; and Zuellig Pharma, DOH's supplier of the vaccine. DMS