Gordon assures Senate resource persons are safe from harassment

Senator Richard Gordon said he would not tolerate any attacks against any resource persons at the Senate hearing on the Dengvaxia mess, following the attack against former Health Secretary Janette Garin after the House of Representatives inquiry, Monday.

“Nakikita natin ngayon ang daming natatakot, nagsisisihan mga parents [We have seen a lot of people expressing fear lately, parents are blaming other people]. I do not encourage, and I condemn any act by parents, I do not justify it, na [that] public officials will be attacked on the elevator. And I’m referring to the incident yesterday,” Gordon said during the fifth joint Senate committee hearing on Tuesday.

READ: Furious mothers confront Garin over Dengvaxia

Gordon said the controversies hounding the P3-billion dengue immunization program should be settled judiciously, adding that he has alerted the Senate security on any attacks at the hearing.

“I certainly will not tolerate it, and I put the guards on warning here, that at the risk of your job that anybody of our resource persons are attacked in the premise of the Senate, we will see to it that you are punished,” the senator said.

“I do not condone that. We have to look at this at the cold neutrality of the impartial tribunal with the support of our scientists. We cannot handle this ourselves,” he added.

Garin, despite saying she understands the parents’ anger, has also expressed dismay following the incident, which she hinted as “staged” and “manipulated.” /jpv

READ: Garin slams ‘groups’ manipulating mothers in ‘staged’ attack