Senator Loren Legarda on Monday warned against any “inch of corruption” in the P1.16-billion refund from Sanofi Pasteur for unused Dengvaxia vials to be used by victims of the controversial anti-dengue vaccine.
“Let us not make a double jeopardy since the Dengvaxia vaccine funds were wrongly used and then the funds for medical assistance,” said Legarda, adding that she will personally oversee the funds to ensure that it will be used properly and efficiently.
“We will not tolerate any single centavo whiff of corruption and even, set aside corruption, the slow process and the wrong monitoring of victims who might be victimized again,” she assured.
Legarda, chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, held a public hearing to discuss bills proposing to fund the medical needs of children who were given the Dengvaxia vaccine. She presided over the hearing on the proposal to appropriate P1,161,710,000 as supplemental appropriations for fiscal year 2018.
The government, Legarda said, can monitor the victims as there is a list of children who were vaccinated with Dengvaxia.
“So know that, there’s a list, pilot regions, pilot provinces, and who are the families, the parents so the local government and the provincial offices will help in monitoring.
The senator said, “she wants the fund to be used within a year but they have to reconcile that provision with the House which wants the budget to be available until it is fully spent.”
She guaranteed Congress will approve within the week the measure seeking P1.16-billion supplemental budget to fund the medical needs of children who were given the Dengvaxia vaccine.
“I’m 101 percent it will be approved. So before the end of session this week, we will have a supplemental budget. Before the session ends and it adjourns, we will have P1.16- billion funds for the victims of Dengvaxia vaccine,” said Legarda.
Legarda said the Senate is just waiting for the House of Representatives to pass the bill and transmit it to the Senate for its action. She said the Senate is now readying the counterpart bill which it will reconcile with the House.
Since the bill has been certified as urgent, she said the Senate can do away with the three-day rule and approve it on third and final reading right after it is passed on second reading.
Zuellig Pharma, the local distributor of the Dengvaxia manufacturer Sanofi Pasteur, refunded the amount of around P1.16 billion covering the unused vials of Dengvaxia vaccines.