By Camille A. Aguinaldo

THE COMMISSION on Appointments (CA) on Wednesday deferred its voting on the appointment of Francisco T. Duque III as Health secretary, amid questions on the alleged “mafia-like operations” at the Department of Health (DoH) and the continuing controversy over the dengue vaccine Dengvaxia.

Senator Gregorio B. Honasan II, chair of the CA committee on health, told reporters that the issues raised during Mr. Duque’s confirmation hearing has to be processed and studied by the committee members.

“The Department of Health and the secretary have tremendous manpower and other resources at (their) discretion and… disposal. This is a big responsibility so the committee thinks that deliberations should be careful,” he said.

Mr. Duque said he respects the committee members should they need more time on deciding on his appointment. “I cannot second guess the CA,” he said.

Members of the CA quizzed Mr. Duque regarding the controversies hounding the agency. On an alleged mafia operating at the DoH, Mr. Duque and Carolina Vidal-Taiño, Health undersecretary for administration, finance and procurements, disputed allegations that some Health officials gained P500 million from the procurement of the Dengvaxia vaccines.

“We categorically say that there’s no mafia in the Department of Health nor any conversion of the P550 million,” she said.

Ms. Taiño explained that the remaining P556-million budget in question is with the Philippine Children’s Medical Center (PCMC) as verified by the Commission on Audit (CoA).

Meanwhile, A TEACHER Party-list Representative Julieta R. Cortuna asked Mr. Duque about the measures the DoH has undertaken to address the concerns of parents regarding the suspended anti-dengue immunization program.

Mr. Duque told the CA he has ordered DoH regional directors to enhance surveillance and monitoring of vaccinated children, to establish a clear referral system for dengue patients as well as to reinforce the information campaign for parents whose children were vaccinated with Dengvaxia.

He added that DoH has asked Dengvaxia manufacturer Sanofi Pasteur to set up a trust fund or an indemnification fund for patients whose illness was caused by the vaccine. He has also instructed the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) to reimburse the hospital costs of Dengvaxia-vaccinated patients.

Also at the hearing, Senator Vicente C. Sotto III questioned the investigation of the Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) regarding the dengue-related deaths among vaccinated children, saying that the agency lacked the authority and expertise to conduct its probe.

“Who is investigating? Do we have a government-authorized forensic expert already? I don’t know how come the PAO is investigating scientific, medical issues….I read an article that there is no such thing as forensic expert in PAO,” he said.

He then challenged Mr. Duque “to (put) his foot down” and to make the DoH lead the investigation.

Mr. Duque said there are two panels investigating the immunization program, a group of technical experts and experts from the University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH).

He added that the DoH has requested PAO’s findings for assessment by UP-PGH.

Sought for comment, PAO chief Persida V. Rueda-Acosta said they were authorized by the Department of Justice (DoJ) to investigate the deaths of children vaccinated with Dengvaxia, citing the DoJ’s department order 792 dated Dec. 12, 2017.

The DoJ order asked PAO to extend its free legal assistance to possible victims of adverse complications after being inoculated with the Dengvaxia vaccine.

Ms. Acosta also maintained that the PAO has the capability to conduct a forensic investigation on the Dengvaxia case.

“We have (had) forensic experts since 2004 and many cases were saved because of the examination of PAO forensic experts,” she said in a phone interview with reporters, noting PAO’s efforts during the Kian delos Santos case.

She also questioned Mr. Sotto’s remarks that the DoH should lead the investigation. “The people are complaining about the DoH because they implemented the mass vaccination. Isn’t that a conflict of interest?” Ms. Acosta said.

She added that PAO is set to file a case next week on the matter based on the evidence gathered from their investigation.

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