Deputy Minority Leader Janette Garin on Wednesday questioned the decision of the Food and Drug Administration’s grant of a license to the Japanese encephalitis vaccine in a mere span of five days.
Garin addressed the question to Department of Health Secretary Francisco Duque III who appeared before congressmen Wednesday to defend the department’s proposed budget for 2020.
“If others are given a hard time, why did JE took just five days?” Garin asked Duque.
Duque disputed the claim of Garin, noting that the entire process of registration took four months.
But Garin said she finds Duque’s explanation unbelievable, claiming she has documents which show that the vaccine was licensed within a span of five days.
This prompted Garin to move to suspend the consideration of the DOH. But Garin withdrew her motion later in the hearing after Duque committed “to identify accountable officers to make sure that the information fed to me is actually accurate.”