THU RsDAY, MARCH 12, 2O2O

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D E N G VA X I A 'D E AT H '

BY JOMAR CANLAS
ers Garin trial Judge Maria Gilda Loja Pang-
ilinan threw out Garin's motion to
dismiss the case for lack of rnerit.
A Quezon City court found cause to proceed with'the trial of former The complaint was filed by the
/l Health secretary and now Iloilo Rep. Janette Garin, who is facing a crimi- family ofZandro Colite, who died
L l.nal complaint *ffiw with the death of a child who
comolaint in connection ag5,gq shortly after being injected with
the anti-dengue vaccine developed
was inoculated with the Dengvaxiu ffi vaccine. 3.Yri;*iA2
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 ITRIAL FROM A1
Court orders
by Sanofi Pasteur Inc.
Colite, 11, died on Dec. 27,
2017 of muldple organ bleeding.
Garin was the secretary of the
Department of Health when the
govemment rolled out a massive
anti-dengue immunization drive.
More than 800,000 children rc-
ceived the vaccine.
The child's family is seeking
actual and compensatory dam-
ages amounting to P2.3 million,
P800,000 in moral and exem-
'plary damages and P50,000 in
civil indemnity.
The court ruled that there was
enough basis to proceed with
the trial.
"Upon perusal of the com-
plaint, the coun finds the allega-
tions in the complaint sufficient
to constitute a cause of action and
defendant's averments as merely
directed to the veracity and cor-
rectness of the allegations found
therein, " it said.
Garin had assailed the venue
where the case was filed, safing
she is not a resident ofQuezon City,
But the coun said "the venue
[was] properly laid by the plaintiff
when he chose to file the instant
complaint in this court by reason
of the residence of one of the
impleaded defendants, whldr he
considen as a principal defendant.'
Garin is also facing several
criminal charges in the lower court
after the Department of Justic€
(Dol) indicted her and several
, others in connection with the use
J ofDengr"axia.
The former Health chiefis also
facing charges of reckless impru-
dence resulting in homicide and
violations of the Anti-Tofturc Act
and Consumer Act.
Charges were also filed against
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Vicente Belizario Jr, Kenneth Har-
tigan Go, Gerardo Bayrgo, Lyndon
Lee Su, Irma Asuncion, Julius
l€cciones, Joyce Ducusin, Rosalind
Vianzon, Maria Lourdes Santiago
and Melody Zamudio of the Food
and Drug Administrationi Socono
Lupisan and l{aria Rosario Ca-
peding of the Research Institute
for Tropical Medicine, corporate
directors and officers of Sanofi
Carlito Realuyo, Sanislas Camalt,
lean Louis Grunwald, Jean-Francois
Vadrerand, Conchita Santos, Jazel
Anne Calvo, Pearl Grace Cabali and
Marie Esther De Antoni.
Last month, a panel of pros-
ecutors created by the DoJ found
probable cause to indict Garin
and nine other health officials
over the use of Dengvaxia that
allegedly resulted in the deaths
of schoolchildren.
The Justice department said
there was enough evidence to
indict the president of Sanofi
Pasteur Inc., the supplier of
Dengnxia, for violating the
Consumer Act ofthe Philippines.
The findings were based on the
preliminary investigation on the
second batch of complaints filed
against the officials in connection
with the dearhs of drildren who
received the vaccine.
In a 78-page resolution, the
panel of prosecutors said there
was "inexcusable lack of precau-
tion" on the part of Garin and the
accused government officials in
the "fast-uacking of the procure-
ment process" for the Dengvaxia
despite being aware of its low
efficacy results and the potential
risla associated with its use.
The government stopped the
dengue immunization program
after Sanofi Pasteur issued an
advisory that Dengvaxia could
lead to severe illness for those
who have not been orposed to the
dengue virus.
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