Parents of children who have died due to alleged Dengvaxia vaccination have filed an administrative complaint with the Supreme Court (SC) against a judge from a Quezon City lower court to seek a “fair trial.”
Ramil Pestilos, Liza Maquilan, Elena Baldonado, Ariel Hedia, Ian Colite, Analyn Ebona, Almer Bautista, Darwin Bataan, and Merly Bataan lodged their complaint against Branch 13 Judge Lily Ann Padaen before SC’s Office of the Court Administrator.
Padaen took over the litigation of the criminal case filed by the initial batch of eight parents whose children’s death were linked to Dengvaxia.
Judge Jose Bautista of Branch 107 earlier inhibited from the case filed against former Health Secretary Janette Garin and 38 others for reckless imprudence resulting in homicide.
The High Court previously issued a resolution designating the family courts in Quezon City as the sole venues to handle all Dengvaxia-related cases.
The complainants were the same group of parents who filed an urgent motion for inhibition before the sala of Padaen whom they wanted to stay away from further hearing their case
They decided to elevate their plea to the high tribunal upon getting unverified information that “she won’t inhibit.”
The parents claimed Padaen should be administratively held liable under the rules of the Code of Judicial Conduct which states that: “A judge should so behave at all times as to promote public confidence in the integrity and impartiality of judiciary.”
“We are taken aback to find out that the person (the judge) whom we are expecting to be fair by listening to all sides is the one who does not listen to us,” one of the petitioners lamented.
The parents said the judge must allow them to present pieces of evidence, adding that public records showed several schoolchildren who got the Dengvaxia vaccine were not given the vaccination cards.
Garin, ex-health chief Francisco Duque III and 37 others were charged before the Department of Justice with reckless imprudence resulting to multiple homicide, violation of the Anti-Torture Law (Republic Act 9745), violation of the Consumer Act of the Philippines (R.A. 7394) and violation of the Philippine Pharmacy Act (R.A. 10918) were filed against her and her co-accused.
The Public Attorney’s Office is representing the parents in court.