THE Public Attorneys Office on Sunday hit back at former Health secretary Esperanza Cabral and threatened her with obstruction of justice charges if she continues to call on the PAO to stop its investigation into the death of children who were given the anti-dengue vaccine Dengvaxia.
“If I were her, I would study Presidential Decree 1829, obstruction of justice,” PAO chief Persida Acosta told radio dzMM in Filipino. “If you block the search for evidence, hide evidence, or stop the presentation of evidence, you can be charged with obstruction of justice.”
Cabral, former Health secretary Manuel Dayrit and 100 other doctors earlier called on the PAO to stop conducting autopsies on children who had died after being given Dengvaxia.
The doctors said it would be better to let “competent forensic pathologists” investigate the deaths.
Meanwhile, Senator Richard Gordon accused people from the Department of Health of concealing documents that showed how former Health secretary Janette Garin forced the Food and Drugs Administration to issue a permit for the distribution of Dengvaxia, even though tests on the vaccine had not yet been completed.
Gordon did not name the officials whom he said were in cahoots with Garin and Sanofi, but said he would release documents during the continuation of Senate hearings on the Dengvaxia purchase.
He said his committee obtained documents related to the Dengvaxia vaccines that DoH officials had tried to conceal.
He said they did not report some failures of Sanofi.
He also said people linked to the procurement of the vaccine, who may already be liable for graft, may be eventually charged with reckless imprudence resulting in homicide.
He said the homicide charge may be recommended against members of the Aquino Cabinet involved in the purchase if test would prove that Dengvaxia is the reason behind the deaths of several children who recently died from dengue.
The findings of Philippine General Hospital team released last week, he said, is the “first step.”
The DoH had earlier said the results of the investigation conducted by PGH team strengthened the Department of Health’s resolve to keep the dengue vaccination program suspended.
The DoH said the results also indicated that Dengvaxia, manufactured by French firm Sanofi Pasteur, is not fit for a mass immunization program that does not screen for prior dengue infection before the administration of the vaccine.
The report said that in three cases, a causal association was observed. The children died due to dengue despite being vaccinated with Dengvaxia—two of which may be on account of vaccine failure.
However, Gordon, said that there are no officials findings yet that would tie Dengvaxia directly to the children’s deaths.
He said among the officials who may be liable for graft are former President Benigno Aquino III, Garin, former Budget secretary Florencio Abad and other officials from the past administration and the DoH.
The senator explained that Aquino may be included because he was the one who instigated the purchase by meeting with Sanofi officials.
He said the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption should have waited for the official findings before filing complaints related to the Dengvaxia vaccine.
The VACC filed complaints against Aquino, Abad and Garin for allegedly violating the election law through the anti-dengue vaccination program.
“I don’t agree necessarily with what they filed. Their cause of action is that they used the money of government for campaigning. That has not been proven. We are not there yet,” Gordon said in Filipino.
As this developed, Senator JV Ejercito told the PAO to let the experts do their job and perform the autopsies on children who died after receiving the Dengvaxia vaccine.
The chairman of the Senate health committee said the PAO should leave the investigation on the death of the 14 children who were administered with the controversial antidengue vaccine to experts of the University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital.
Ejercito supported the stand of Cabral and her group, Doctors for Public Welfare (DPW), who questioned the autopsies being performed by the PAO.
Ejercito also called on the PAO to cooperate and work together with the experts from PGH.
Also on Sunday, a lawmaker urged Sanofi S.A. to put up a fund that would “secure Filipino families against any loss or financial burden” suffered due to their anti-dengue vaccine.
“It is high time for Sanofi to comply with Health Secretary Francisco Duque’s request for an indemnity fund to pay for the treatment of Filipino schoolchildren rendered sick after receiving Dengvaxia shots,” said Surigao del Sur Rep. Johnny Pimentel, chairman of the House committee on good government and public accountability. With Maricel V. Cruz