The Sandiganbayan Second Division formally acquitted House Deputy Speaker and Iloilo 1st District Rep. Janette Garin of graft and technical malversation linked to the alleged illegal procurement of Dengvaxia vaccines in 2015.
State prosecutors filed the case in 2023 alleging that Garin, then a Health Secretary, conspired with former Philippine Children’s Medical Center Executive Director Julius Lecciones and other former Department of Health (DOH) officials for the illegal diversion of funds to the vaccine.
The Dengvaxia Controversy sparked a national outrage in April 2016 after the vaccine was administered to over 830,000 students around the country, leading to some children experiencing severe symptoms of dengue.
In spite of the controversy, Garin would only leave her post after the term of former President Benigno Aquino III ended in June of that same year.
It is worth noting that Sanofi Pasteur, the manufacturer of Dengvaxia, committed to refund P1.4 billion worth of the anti-dengue vaccine in 2018 that was unused based on the request of the DOH.
Multiple cases have since been filed on the lawmaker related to the Dengvaxia scandal, including the case filed before the Sandiganbayan.
A win for health experts
Garin, for her part, expressed relief with the court’s decision to acquit her from criminal charges, noting that the development served as a “vindication” for health experts around the country that were pushing for ways to combat harmful diseases.
She pointed out that the scandal had led to many Filipinos fearing vaccines which, in turn, left the public vulnerable to outbreaks and had even contributed to the death of some individuals.
“We understand that there are plenty of anti-vaccine advocates, however, we can not simply drop our responsibility…we can not turn our backs on vaccinations, because vaccination save lives,” the lawmaker explained.
“This is a vindication, not for me, but for scientists or public health experts and for doctors that continue to believe that they need to serve every Maria and Juan dela Cruz,” she added.
Garin would also point out that it was time for the government to utilize billions of funds that were allocated for vaccines that have been parked out of fear of the public.
The former Health Secretary would note, however, that she would leave the matter up to the current officials of the DOH as she was no longer affiliated with the agency.
“Well, I leave it [up to them]. I’m not part of the Department of Health anymore. And from my understanding, the company no longer wants to continue in the Philippines, but there are also other options,” she said.
Garin said that there were other civil cases that remained pending against them, but stressed that she remains committed to facing the issues in court while maintaining that they did nothing wrong in spite of the issues.
Consequence of science
Speaking on the issue that had followed her for nearly 10 years, Garin expressed that it was simply a “consequence” of advocating for scientific research that would ultimately benefit future generations.
Even with the controversy, the registered physician said that it would not stop health experts from pushing for what they believed could have positive contributions to the public.
“Allow me to reiterate, when we talk about immunization, it’s not every country for itself. It’s a whole nation approach, especially now. We have climate change, super El Nino, there are endless possibilities of mutations of different viruses. Vaccination is very important,” she stressed.
Aside from Garin and Lecciones, former DOH undersecretaries Gerardo Bayugo and Kenneth Hartigan-Go, and former DOH Officer-in-Charge Joyce Ducusin were also acquitted from the charges.
The court ordered for their respective bonds to be released and the hold departure orders on the respondents to be lifted.