Lawyers, doctors preparing cases vs Duque over Dengvaxia mess
Public Attorneys’ Office (PAO) forensics chief Dr. Erwin Erfe revealed on Thursday that lawyers and doctors are preparing cases against Health Secretary Francisco Duque III to revoke his license as a doctor in connection with the alleged deaths of children due to the controversial Dengvaxia anti-dengue vaccine.
Erfe said these groups are also planning to bring the cases to the International Criminal Court (ICC).
“May mga grupo na po ng doctor at abogado ang nagpahayag na nagpaplano sila ng pagsampa ng kaso kay Secretary Duque upang ipatanggal ang kanyang lisensya bilang doctor sa Professional Regulation Commission at dalhin ang kasong itong sa international Criminal Court,” Erfe said in a press conference.
(There were groups of doctors and lawyers planning to file cases against Secretary Duque to have his license as a doctor revoked by the Professional Regulation Commission and bring the cases to the International Criminal Court.)
“Ang mga kasong ito ay hinahanda na po ng mga doktor na ito at abogado laban kay Sec. Duque (These cases are now being prepared by the lawyers and doctors against Secretary Duque),”Erfe added, though he refused to disclose the identities of the lawyers and doctors.
Earlier, PAO included Duque in its complaints for reckless imprudence resulting in homicide and for violation of the Anti-Torture Law filed before the Department of Justice.
READ: Duque goes ballistic over raps
Former Health secretary Janette Garin, officials of Sanofi Pasteur, Dengvaxia distributor Zuellig Pharma, and several other Department of Health officials were included in the complaint filed last April.
Duque had branded the Dengvaxia-related complaints against him as “counterproductive” and “malicious and oppressive.”
The Health secretary had said that he could not be implicated in Dengvaxia-related cases because he was not the DOH chief when the dengue immunization program was rolled out in April 2016. /ee
READ: DOH says 62 kids may have died after receiving Dengvaxia
