Despite signing the Senate Blue Ribbon committee’s draft report on the Dengvaxia mess, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said he does not agree that former President Benigno Aquino III is criminally liable with regards to the issue.
“I am not convinced that he [Aquino] is criminally liable, but he is accountable for the whole program,” said Gatchalian during yesterday’s “Kapihan sa Senado.”
Being the President, Gatchalian said Aquino is accountable for all the programs in the government.
Gatchalian is the second senator who had openly said that Aquino has no criminal liabillity in tne Dengvaxia controversy in which the anti-dengue vaccine was administered to almost a million Filipino children.
Lacson, who was appointed by Aquino as rehabilitation czar in 2013, pointed out that having worked closely with the former president, both in the Senate and Malacañang, it is difficult for him to believe that the former president was capable of committing graft and corruption.
Liberal Party stalwarts also came to Aquino’s defense and questioned the timing of the release of draft report, which still has no signature of other senators.
Gatchalian said the part on the accountability of Aquino is the most contentious part of the report.
He said he would brace for the debates during the plenary as there are many issues to discuss especially the case of the former President.
“That is the most contentious part of the report. There would be heated debates especially how to substantiate that accusation,” he said.
Gatchalian said he believes Aquino only relied on the advice and recommendation of Garin.
“From my reading and analysis of the report, PNoy (Aquino’s nickname) is not a doctor and he merely relied for advice from the secretary particularly with regards to medical and technical advices. Garin is a doctor so he relied on the advice of Garin,” he said.
He said he saw no bad faith on Aquino’s part in implementing the program. He administered it because it was the advice of his secretary of health.
“At the end, it was Garin sho made the recommendation,” said Gatchalian, adding that he believes Garin was the prime mover in the procurement of Dengvaxia.
“If we look at all the actions, she recommended, she made a way to have a budget from zero so P3.5 billion, she also made the way to put the funds to the Philippine Children’s Medical Center. She is really the prime mover of this Dengvaxia fiasco,” explained Gatchalian.
The senator said he signed the draft report with reservations . He said that until now, he has not yet seen a document saying that the vaccine should be administered to many children. He said all the documents he saw were saying that it should be a pilot project since the testings were not yet completed.
In his draft report, Gordon said Aquino, former Budget secretary Florencio Abad, former Health secretary Janette Garin, and other officials are “primary conspirators” and must be held criminally liable for “all the tragedy, damage,
and possible deaths” resulting from the Dengvaxia mass vaccination program.
Gordon, who chairs the Blue Ribbon committee, added that Aquino, Garin, Abad and other government officials should be investigated and prosecuted for graft and violation of the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees. He even described Aauino as insenstive and has no concern for the Filipino children and their parents.
Gatchalian likewise said he believes former Health secretary Paulyn Jean Ubial was equally accountable.
“Secretary Ubial also administered this during her term. She is equally liable like Garin,” he said.
He said Ubial cannot say that she was pressured by congressmen to continue the project.