ANOTHER criminal complaint has been filed before the Justice department against former Health Secretary Janette Garin, incumbent Health secretary Francisco Duque III and other incumbent and former health officials in connection with the Dengvaxia mess.
The complaint, which was filed by the family of another student who died after being inoculated with the controversial anti-dengue Dengvaxia vaccine on Thursday, accused Garin and other respondents of reckless imprudence resulting in homicide.
The parents of 13-year-old Jansyn Bataan, from Caloocan City, sought the indictment of Garin, Duque and 34 others, including the executives and officers of manufacturer Sanofi Pasteur Inc. and distributor Zuellig Pharma Corp.
That would be the sixth complaint filed so far by the families of the victims of the Dengvaxia vaccine through the assistance of the Public Attorney’s Office.
In other developments:
• Parents whose children were vaccinated with the anti-dengue Dengvaxia on Thursday said that Health Secretary Francisco Duque III should either resign or be fired for his alleged inaction and cover-up of the supposed perils of the French-made drug.
In an April 4 letter, Sumachen Dominguez, Maricel Matias, Myra Cruz and Jessica Leongson said they wanted President Rodrigo Duterte to replace Duque with a Health chief with a “heart” to assist “victims.”
*Eduardo Janairo, regional director of the Health department in Calabarzon, on Thursday issued instructions to all provincial Health representatives to immediately implement the approved guidelines for Dengvaxia claims in the region.
“This financial assistance amounting to P50,000.00 is a directive from the Office of the President. It must be given straightaway,” Janairo said.
The Public Attorney’s Office earlier filed five separate complaints for the families of Aejay Bautista, 11; Angelica Pestilos, 10; Lenard Baldonado, 10; Zandro Colite, 11; and Abbie Hedia, 13″•all schoolchildren who died allegedly due to multiple organ failure after getting Dengvaxia shots.
The Justice department is set to conduct a preliminary investigation hearing on the consolidated case on May 15.
Duque was named a respondent in the cases of Bataan and Hedia because it was during his tenure when the two victims died. Bataan died in January and Hedia in February.
The parents of Hedia also filed separate a charge of obstruction of justice against the incumbent Health chief for his supposed refusal to share the master list of children inoculated with Dengvaxia, and also for issuing orders that allegedly further prevented PAO from effectively investigating the cases of death.
Just like in the earlier complaints, the Bataan couple also named nine other Health officials as respondents in the complaint.
The executives of Sanofi named in the complaints were Carlito Realuyo, Sanislas Camart, Jean Louis Grunwald, Jean-Francois Vacherand, Conchita Santos, Jazel Anne Calvo, Pearl Grace Cabali and Marie Esther De Antoni.
The officers of Zuellig in the charge sheet, on the other hand, are Kasigod Jamias, Michael Becker, Ricardo Romulo, Imran Babar Chugtai, Raymund Azurin, Nilo Badiola, John Stokes Davison, Marc Franck, Ashley Gerard Antonio, Ana Liza Peralta, Rosa Maria Chua, Danilo Cahoy, Manuel Concio III, Roland Goco and Ma. Visitacion Barreiro.