Ejercito hopes Senate will discuss Dengvaxia bill soon

Sen. JV Ejercito (File photo by CATHY MIRANDA / INQUIRER.net)

Sen. Joseph Victor Ejercito said on Saturday he was hoping that his Dengvaxia Assistance Program Bill would be discussed in the Senate this week.

According to Ejercito, the bill aims to “monitor and address the needs of those victimized” by the vaccine fiasco that reportedly led to 71 deaths as of this posting.

READ: PAO blames Dengvaxia anew in death of 71st kid

“Hopefully matapos na next week para maipasa na ito para magamit na itong budget para sa dun sa mga Dengvaxia victims,” Ejercito, who chairs the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, said in an interview at AM radio dwIZ.

[Hopefully, it can be finished next week so that it can be passed and the budget can be used for the Dengvaxia victims.]

He said the bill, which would provide over P1 billion funds to victims, was “trapped” following other measures the Senate had been discussing recently.

“At least sana ngayon maipasa na. Ang importante magamit na talaga sa lalong madaling panahon,” he said.

[At least now, I hope it gets passed. It’s important that it can be used as soon as possible.]

President Rodrigo Duterte tagged the bill as urgent last May.

The Department of Health under the Aquino administration bought Dengvaxia vaccines and administered ti to over 830,000 students in Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Metro Manila, and Cebu. /atm