Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) Chief Persida Acosta on Monday (November 4) has vowed to file more criminal complaints before the Department of Justice (DOJ) concerning the liability of those behind the mass vaccination of the anti-dengue vaccine Dengvaxia which is believed behind numerous deaths.
Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) Chief Persida Rueda Acosta (Persida Acosta Facebook)
“Tuloy-tuloy ang pag-pa-file namin (We will continue to file cases),” Acosta told reporters.
“Sa Biyernes mag-pa-file uli kami ng mga bagong kaso (This Friday, we will be filing more complaints),” she disclosed.
Acosta noted the PAO has filed a total of 50 complaints before the DOJ since 2018 on behalf of families of those who died or fell ill after getting shots of Dengvaxia.
“Fifty cases na nai-file sa DOJ (50 cases have been filed at the DOJ),” Acosta said.
The number represents 50 persons out of the 147 dead victims autopsied by the PAO forensics team, and one survivor who all received shots of the still experimental vaccine.
At the moment, a DOJ panel of prosecutors, chaired by Senior Assistant State Prosecutor Toefel Austria, is reviewing the four batch of Dengvaxia complaints filed on behalf of the families of 12 dead children and 11-year-old survivor Mark Joseph Estandarte.
The other dead children were Aldrid Aberia, Micaella Mainit, Eira Mae Galoso, Riceza Salgo, Leiden Alcabasa, Jonnel Dacquel, Kenchie Ocfemia, Angelica Pulumbarit, John Marky Ferrer, Maricel Manriza, Charmel Flordeliz and Annaliza Silverio.
Under the complaints, the respondents, who included Iloilo First District Rep. Janette Garin and Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, were accused of reckless imprudence resulting to homicide under Article 365 of the Revised Penal Code; torture resulting in the death of a person and torture committed against children under Republic Act 9745, the Anti-Torture Act of 2009; and for violating RA 7394, the Consumer Act of the Philippines, particularly, the mislabeling of drugs and devices, liability for defective products, and liability for product and service imperfection.
Acosta was at the DOJ on Monday to attend the preliminary investigation hearing concerning the fourth batch of complaints.
The DOJ has already found probable cause to indict those named as respondents in the first batch of complaints concerning the deaths of nine children.
On the other hand, the DOJ has to issue resolutions over the preliminary investigation over the second and third batch of complaints.
Because of the large number of cases, Acosta renewed calls to the Supreme Court (SC) to act on the PAO’s request to designate one court to handle all the Dengvaxia cases.
“Mapapabilis kasi pag isang korte lang kayse yung hiwa-hiwalay (The cases wil be resolved quickly if one court will handle the cases),” she explained.
“Aabutin ng mga isang daang taon hindi pa tapos ang paghea-hearing (the hearings might take a hundred years and it will not be finished),” she pointed out due to the number of complainants.
Source and Original Article:>>> Manila Bulletin
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