The Public Attorney’s Office on Friday stood by its claim that Health Secretary Francisco Duque III had been bribing the families of children inoculated with the Dengvaxia anti-dengue vaccine and died in exchange for withdrawing their complaints.
The office even vowed to substantiate its allegations after Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said it should corroborate its claim, and then it submitted to Malacañang the documents that it said proved its accusations against Duque.
“It was the parents who experienced personally the act of DOH affiliates of Secretary Francisco T. Duque III who are offering the amount of P50,000.00 to ensure that the case will just be dropped,” says the PAO’s letter to Panelo dated Jan. 30.
“To substantiate the matters, we are respectfully transmitting to your end, for your information and guidance, the following attached documents.”
Duque on Thursday expressed dismay over PAO Chief Persida Acosta’s attacks on his department over the Dengvaxia controversy.
In a statement, Duque cited Acosta’s recent interview where she accused the department of paying off the families of alleged Dengvaxia victims P50,000 each to drop charges.
“This is malicious, baseless and a complete lie,” Duque said.
“Baseless statements like these cause serious damage to our reputation as the primary government entity mandated to protect the health of all Filipinos.”
The PAO’s documents include copies of sworn statements of the parents of Dengvaxia victims who said they were offered P50,000 in financial assistance from the Office of the President “in exchange for giving to the DOH all originals of the appropriate documentary requirements which prove that their children has been vaccinated with dengvaxia vaccine, such as Immunization Record (Dengvaxia Card) and Death Certificate in their possession.”
The victims’ parents said they “did not accept because they wanted to file charges against those responsible for having their children indiscriminately vaccinated with the Dengvaxia vaccine.”
The PAO also submitted the Health department’s Department Order 2018-0147 dated April 17, 2018, which provides the guidelines for the processing of claims for financial assistance for the families of the Dengvaxia victims.
The order indicated a one-time financial assistance of P50,000 to be released by the Office of the President to the surviving family members of victims.
However, those who did avail themselves of the financial assistance never got back the documents that they had submitted, which they had intended to use in their suits as evidence.
As a result, the PAO submitted a copy of the reply letter of the Health department’s Center for Health Development Region IV Director Jaime Bernadas, which responded to the demands of the PAO on behalf of Sherry Mae Samorin for the return of the documents she submitted.
Bernadas told the PAO that “Inasmuch as we would like to cooperate with you on this regard, the documents being requested, however, are no longer in the custody and/or control of the regional office.”