Dengvaxia group seeks Garin case reinstatement

Relatives of Dengvaxia “victims,” along with officials of the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption, appealed to Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla to reverse his decision dismissing the complaint for 98 counts of reckless imprudence resulting in homicide against former Department of Health (DoH) Secretary, now Iloilo Congressman, Janette Garin.

Analyn Eboña and Teresa Sedilla, whose children Marc-Axl Eboña and Francis Ivan Sedilla allegedly died due to Dengvaxia, were among those who went to the Department of Justice (DoJ) to deliver their appeal.

They maintained that their children were killed by the Dengvaxia vaccine bought by the previous government and that they deserve justice.

On 10 January, a resolution signed by Remulla ordered the prosecutor general to withdraw the information against Garin and co-respondents Dr. Gerardo Bayugo and Dr. Ma. Joyce Ducusin before the Quezon City Regional Trial Court.

“In the events that transpired involving Dengvaxia, we found that the step-by-step procedures undertaken by respondents-appellants, leading to the implementation of the program, do not exhibit inexcusable lack of precaution to hold them liable for reckless imprudence resulting in homicide,” Remulla said in the resolution.

Remulla stressed that after carefully examining the records, there was no prima facie case with reasonable certainty of conviction against the respondents.

The DoJ resolution stated that the respondents could not be held liable for conspiring because there was no malicious intent.

Backed by FDA

It also noted that the respondents had reasons to rely on the Certificate of Product Registration issued by the Food and Drug Administration for Dengvaxia, along with the clinical trials for the vaccine.

The DoJ further stated that it could not be established that there was any causal link between the Dengvaxia vaccination of schoolchildren and the deaths alleged in the victims’ complaint-affidavit.

Remulla said, “Rigorous scientific studies conducted by the World Health Organization and other respected experts clearly point to a contrary conclusion: that there is no causal link between them.”

The Public Attorney’s Office (PAO), however, sought to “timely rectify” the resolution dismissing the 98 Dengvaxia complaints “to avoid further injustice and impunity of the guilty respondents.”

“The leaking blood and deaths of the multiple victims are crying and shouting for justice and due care,” the PAO said in its motion for reconsideration filed last Friday.

The PAO motion was signed by Deputy Chief Public Attorney Ana Lisa Soriano and Regional Public Attorneys Marlon Buan and Revelyn Ramos-Dacpano.