Garin not yet off Dengvaxia hook — VACC

The Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC) yesterday scored former Health secretary and now Iloilo Rep. Janette Garin for allegedly misleading the public by claiming that she and her co-accused in the Dengvaxia case had been found not guilty.

Arsenio “Boy” Evangelista, VACC president, said the recent decision of Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 229 finding Garin and her co-accused not guilty was only for the initial batch of Dengvaxia cases involving eight schoolchildren “who died when they were inoculated with the vaccine.”

Garin is still the principal accused in other Dengvaxia cases that had been filed against her and others, Evangelista said.

He also reminded Garin and her co-accused that they still faced a technical malversation charge before the Sandiganbayan involving the alleged anomalous procurement of P3.55billion worth of Dengvaxia vaccines.

The VACC has been aiding parents whose children died allegedly due to the controversial anti-dengue vaccine. It said there remained 35 pending Dengvaxia cases filed before a Quezon City court.

Likewise, the group said there were 160 more Dengvaxia cases that were filed before the Department of Justice, which is expected to file the cases in a family court in Quezon City that was designated by the Supreme Court to exclusively try all Dengvaxia-related cases.

The VACC, the parents of the schoolchildren and the prosecution panel had questioned Branch 229’s decision before the Court of Appeals, especially the granting of a demurrer to evidence to the accused led by Garin.