The Quezon City Regional Trial Court has set the arraignment of former Health secretary Janet Garin, now Iloilo representative, on Sept. 20 for the first batch of consolidated criminal cases in connection with the Dengvaxia-related deaths of several school children.
Branch 107 Judge Jose Bautista Jr. ordered the arraignment of Garin; Philippine Children’s Medical Center executive director Julius Lecciones; doctors Maria Rosario Capeding and Kenneth Hartigan-Go; Melody Zamudio, and Carlito Realuyo and pre-trial for doctors Vicente Belizario, Joyce Ducusin, Gerardo Bayugo, Socorro Lupisan, Rosalind Vianzon, Mario Baquilod and Socorro Lupisan, and Maria Lourdes Santiago on Sept. 2 at 2 p.m.
The preliminary conference or the pre-marking of exhibits is set on Sept. 15 at 9 a.m.
At least 52 civil cases again≠≠st Garin and the other respondents were raffled off at the QCRTC Branch 226, while the other four are still with Branches 76, 87, 104 and 221.
The petitions for certiorari filed by Sanofi Pasteur Inc. and Zuellig Pharma Corp. before the Court of Appeals questioning the consolidation of the Dengvaxia cases have already been submitted for resolution.
Kin of the supposed Dengvaxia victims through the Public Attorney’s Office filed multiple counts of reckless imprudence resulting in homicide and civil suits against Garin and several others before the Department of Justice.
In November 2017, Sanofi, posted on its official website, said the Dengvaxia vaccine posed risk to individuals vaccinated without having a prior dengue infection, prompting the Department of Health to stop the mass vaccination program for public school children.