Congress will reopen its joint probe on Nov. 20 and Nov. 21 into the liability of the past administration’s controversial P3.5-billion procurement of Dengvaxia vaccines in 2015.
In a Super Radyo interview over dzBB, Camiguin Rep. Xavier Jesus Romualdo, chairman of the House committee on good government and public accountability, said the two hearings could help them finalize the committee report that was not approved when he replaced Surigao del Sur Rep. Johnny Pimentel as the panel head.
“We will reopen the joint inquiry on November 20 and 21,” he said.
“Hopefully, we’ll be able to tie up the loose ends and get a more complete picture of why and how the government procured the vaccines and rolled out the vaccination program, and if offenses were committed by the officials involved in the process.”
Pimentel held previous hearings jointly with the House committee on health led by Quezon Rep. Helen Tan.
Romualdo said he had already coordinated with Tan about his plan to reopen the probe.
The Department of Health procured P3.5 billion worth of Dengvaxia vaccines and conducted a mass immunization of 830,000 students from public schools and even police officers starting April 2016.
French pharmaceutical Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccine manufacturer, said in 2017 that the anti-dengue vaccines had potential severe dengue risks among those who had not been diagnosed with the disease before.
According to Romualdo, they will invite all former and incumbent government officials who could be behind the registration and procurement of Dengvaxia vaccines and the implementation of the mass vaccination program.