Former Department of Health (DOH) secretary and now Iloilo First District Representative Janette Garin is facing criminal complaints filed by the Office of the Ombudsman over the purchase of P3.5 billion worth of dengue vaccines.

The Ombudsman filed the complaints against Garin and four other former DOH officials before the Sandiganbayan on Tuesday, Oct. 24, for allegedly violating section 3(e) of Republic Act No. 3013 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

The respondents, according to the Ombudsman, “willfully, unlawfully and feloniously cause the realignment of government fund” for the procurement of Dengvaxia vaccines and the implementation of the school-based immunization program.

DOH purchased the vaccines from pharmaceutical giant Sanofi Pasteur in 2016. However, the Ombudsman noted that Dengvaxia was not part of the immunization program and not listed in Volume 1 of the Philippine National Drug Formulary in violation of Executive Order 49, series of 1993, and related administrative orders and issuances to the damage of public service.

At least 800,000 learners aged nine years old and above were vaccinated in 2016 for 19 months beginning in April 2016. The DOH ordered to stop the Dengvaxia vaccination in December 2017 after Sanofi Pasteur said its product poses higher risks to people without prior infection.

The other respondents were former DOH undersecretary Gerardo Bayugo, former DOH acting director Maria Joyce Ducusin, former DOH undersecretary Kenneth Hartigan-Go, and former Philippine Children’s Medical Center chief Julius Lecciones.

In a statement, Garin said they are confident that the charges would be dismissed.

“As we maintain our clear conscience and readiness to face the issues that confront us, we are confident that our sound exercise of discretion, which is backed by hard science, will disprove the allegations in the complaint,” she said.

“We firmly believe in the principles of justice and due process, which our legal system upholds. With this, we fully trust that our innocence will be duly proven, and the truth will come out in due time,” Garin added.IMT