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No rush: Aquino defends Dengvaxia program

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Ina Reformina, ABS-CBN News

MANILA - Former President Benigno S. Aquino III defended anew on Monday his administration&#x27;s dengue vaccination drive using the controversial Dengvaxia vaccine. Aquino, along with two members of his cabinet, former Health Secretary Janette Garin and former Budget Secretary Florencio Abad, appeared and submitted their respective counter-affidavits at the Department of Justice’s hearing into a complaint for criminal negligence and reckless imprudence, technical malversation, causing undue injuries, and violations of the Procurement Law.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/news/06/04/18/aquino-abad-garin-face-doj-probe-on-dengvaxia">Aquino, Abad, Garin face DOJ probe on Dengvaxia</a></li></ul>The criminal complaint was filed by Vanguard of the Philippines, Inc. (VCPI) and Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC) in light of alleged deaths of several schoolchildren who received the vaccine, and the alleged use of pooled savings for fiscal year 2015 for a project not specified in the General Appropriations Act (GAA). Aquino said the program was above board, and conceived to address the increasing threat of the disease. He urged the DOJ to dismiss the complaint &quot;[f]or the complainants’ failure to sufficiently allege and substantiate the facts necessary” to warrant his indictment.“Dapat bang hindi itinuloy ito? Siguro yung tanong natin dito, &#x27;yung threat na pinose ng dengue… pwede ba natin isuspinde hanggang matapos yung election period o pabayaan nating mawalan ng proteksyon ang mga pwedeng proteksyunan nito?&quot;<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/news/12/14/17/to-protect-the-people-aquino-defends-decision-on-dengvaxia-use">&#x27;To protect the people&#x27;: Aquino defends decision on Dengvaxia use</a></li></ul>&quot;Ni-rush ba ito? Ewan ko paano nasabing ni-rush,” Aquino told reporters in a news conference.He also stressed that Sanofi Pasteur’s admission that Dengvaxia can cause severe dengue in 2 out of 1,000 recipients who have not had a previous history of dengue is far outweighed by the number of people the vaccine can protect.“Yung risk, meron 0.2% . Pero yung gain, yun ang natira sa 100%: 99.8%,” Aquino said. <ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/news/06/04/18/aquino-says-dengvaxia-benefits-outweigh-risks">Aquino says Dengvaxia benefits outweigh risks</a></li></ul>He meantime slammed the “sensationalizing” of the issue and attempts by quarters he did not identify to cause a health scare.“Yung DOH (Department of Health) matagal nag-build-up [ng pangalan]… pero sa pagse-sensationalize, marami nagkakaroon ng maling desisyon at hindi nakakagdesisyon nang maayos.“Tuloy yung problema ng pagkawala ng tiwala sa DOH… ang paggawa ng pananakot ba nakatulong sa lipunan o walang naitulong sa lipunan?”Aquino hinted that politics may be behind the so-called Dengvaxia “scare.”“Baka naman may kinalaman sa elections next year. Baka ngayon pa lang kelangan mag-generate nang recall,” he said. <ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/news/12/11/17/officials-defied-experts-advice-in-pursuing-dengue-immunization-program">Officials defied experts&#x27; advice in pursuing dengue immunization program</a></li>	<li><a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/news/12/14/17/us-based-expert-forewarned-govt-on-dengvaxia-but-doh-ignored-him">US-based expert forewarned govt on Dengvaxia, but DOH ignored him</a></li></ul>Aside from Aquino, Garin, and Abad, the other respondents include Health Undersecretaries Carol Tinio, Gerardo Bayugo, Lilibeth David, and Mario Villaverde; Health Assistant Secretaries Lyndon Lee Suy and Nestor Santiago; other Department of Health (DOH) officials namely, Laureano Cruz, Joyce Ducusin, Mar Wynn Bello, Leonila Gorgolon, Rio Magpantay, Ariel Valencia, and Julius Lecciones; former DOH Undersecretaries namely, Nemesio Gako, Vicente Belizario, Jr., and Kenneth Hartigan-Go; head executive assistant to Garin, Dr. Yolanda Oliveros; directors and officers or employees of vaccine distributor Zuellig Pharma; and directors, officers and employees of Sanofi Pasteur.The charged health officials and employees and charged Zuellig Pharma officers also filed their respective individual and/or joint counter-affidavits, also urging the DOJ to dismiss the complaint. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">Dating Pangulong Noynoy Aquino, nasa DOJ na para dumalo sa hearing sa reklamo ng VACC kaugnay ng kontrobersyal na Dengvaxia vaccine. <a href="https://t.co/xYXucOtGXs">pic.twitter.com/xYXucOtGXs</a>— Johnson L. Manabat (@JohnsonManabat) <a href="https://twitter.com/JohnsonManabat/status/1003453872382214144?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 4, 2018</a></blockquote><div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charSet="utf-8" type="text/javascript"></script></div>Respondent Sanofi Pasteur officials and personnel did not attend the hearing. The panel was informed they have not received copies of their subpoenas. VACC and Vanguard were directed to submit their reply-affidavits on June 22, at 10am. Aquino, Garin, Abad and the other respodents who already submitted their counter-affidavits will no longer be required to attend said hearing. But their lawyers were directed to be present and bring with them the original or certified true copies of documents attached to their counter-affidavits. The panel of prosecutors tasked to conduct the DOJ probe are Senior Assistant State Prosecutor Rossane Balauag (chairperson); Senior Assistant State Prosecutor Hazel Decena Valdez; Assistant State Prosecutor Consuelo Corazon Pazziuagan; and Assistant State Prosecutor Gino Paolo Santiago.Some 830,000 schoolchildren received doses of Dengvaxia at the time the DOH stopped the immunization drive in 2017 following Sanofi Pasteur’s disclosure.

MANILA - Former President Benigno S. Aquino III defended anew on Monday his administration’s dengue vaccination drive using the controversial Dengvaxia vaccine.

MANILA - Former President Benigno S. Aquino III defended anew on Monday his administration’s dengue vaccination drive using the controversial Dengvaxia vaccine.

No rush: Aquino defends Dengvaxia program

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No rush: Aquino defends Dengvaxia program

Ina Reformina,

ABS-CBN News

Published June 04, 2018 05:46 PM PHT

Read More:

dengvaxia

benigno aquino iii

dengue

health

vaccination

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