The Supreme Court (SC) has ordered a Quezon City family court to begin pre-trial procedures in 35 Dengvaxia-related cases, overturning a previous dismissal.

In a two-page order, Assistant Court Administrator Lilian Barribal-Co directed Acting Judge Cecilyn E. Villavert of Branch 102, RTC, Quezon City, to hear and try the cases.

The order stems from the inhibition of Judge Cleto Villacorta III of Branch 229 in September 2024, who had previously dismissed eight criminal charges against former Health Secretary Janette Garin and other officials.

Sumachen Dominguez, president of the Samahan ng mga Magulang, Anak at Biktima ng Dengvaxia, welcomed the Supreme Court’s order.

Villacorta had dismissed the eight charges, questioning the credibility of three medical doctors as expert witnesses.

“The case of Dengvaxia is just new,” Dominguez said. “How can we have experts on this?”

In a letter to Quezon City Regional Trial Court Executive Judge Rosanna Fe Romero-Maglaya, Barribal-Co stated that OCA Circular No. 105-2022 prohibits judges designated to hear an inhibited case from raising the issue of propriety of their own disqualification.

The 35 criminal charges were re-raffled to Burgos-Villavert of Branch 102 after Villacorta’s inhibition.

The DoH, under Garin’s leadership, procured P3.5 billion worth of Dengvaxia vaccine for the mass vaccination of school children in public schools in 2016. with Gabriela Baron