The Department of Justice has concluded its preliminary investigation on criminal charges filed against former Health Secretary Janette Garin and others implicated in the second batch of cases arising from deaths of schoolchildren inoculated with Dengvaxia.
The DOJ’s investigating panel headed by Senior Associate Prosecutor Susan Dacanay has submitted for resolution the charges of reckless imprudence resulting in homicide and violations of the Anti-Torture Act and Consumer Act against Garin and others after holding final hearing last Dec. 28.
The second batch of cases involved eight victims—Clarissa Alcantara, Christine Mae De Guzman, Erico Leabres, Roshaine Cariño, Naomi Nimura, John Paul Rafael, Michael Tablate and Christine Joy Asuncion.
Aside from Garin, charged were several health officials – including Secretary Francisco Duque III and Philippine Children’s Medical Center executive Dr. Raymundo Lo – and the executives of Dengvaxia manufacturer Sanofi Pasteur and distributor Zuellig Pharma.