MANILA — Malacañang said Wednesday it would wait for the results of the findings of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on the controversial dengue vaccine, Dengvaxia, before it comments on a Senate committee report.
“Awaiting findings of NBI still,” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque told reporters when sought for a comment on the Senate blue ribbon committee report recommending the prosecution of former president Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III and other officials during his term.
Senate blue ribbon committee chair Richard Gordon said that Aquino, former health secretary Janette Garin, and former finance secretary Florencio “Butch” Abad should be held “criminally liable” for the Dengvaxia mess.
“Aquino, Garin, Abad, and other officials are primary conspirators and must be held criminally liable because, as succinctly put by the old Spanish legal maxim, ‘El que es causa de la causa, es causa del mal causado’ — he who is the cause of the cause, is the cause of the evil caused (People vs. Ural, GR No. L-30801, 27 March 1974), and must be prosecuted for all the tragedy, damage, and possible deaths resulting from the Dengvaxia mass vaccination program,” the committee report read.
The NBI investigation on the controversial dengue vaccine is ongoing.
Malacañang earlier denied that it was “politicizing” the issue on the Dengvaxia immunization program, which was implemented during the Aquino administration in 2016.
“If it is (being politicized), it’s certainly not because of the President (Rodrigo R. Duterte),” Roque said in a Palace briefing.
Aquino, during a House of Representatives probe into the Dengavaxia mess, claimed that the issue was being “politicized” by government officials he did not name.
Roque, however, stressed that Duterte himself had said that he understood why Aquino and health officials during his term opted to implement the dengue vaccine.
“The President has taken a very calm, very rational approach to this. He has made a declaration that he understands why the previous administration decided to use Dengvaxia, having been a victim of dengue himself,” Roque said.
He, however, said that Duterte has still ordered the NBI to proceed with the investigation and prosecute those involved.
“But his (Duterte’s) continuing order is for the investigation (of the) NBI to continue and conclude it to find out who’s criminally liable,” Roque said.
“What the people want to know is, why was the process of purchasing the vaccine done so quickly? Did they know that Dengvaxia would pose risks to those who have not yet acquired dengue? Because if Sanofi and the government during that time knew, they would (have) civil liability if not criminal liability,” he added. (PNA)
