Probe into alleged dengue deaths to continue—Aguirre

Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II (File photo by MARIANNE BERMUDEZ / Philippine Daily Inquirer)

The forensic examination of children whose death was suspected to have been triggered by Dengvaxia vaccine as well as the investigation by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) will continue, Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II said Wednesday.

“Palace as well as the DOJ (Department of Justice) were in agreement that exhumation of the cadavers and examination will continue until we’ve decided that the same be stopped,” Aguirre told reporters.

Aguirre was reacting to the call of the Doctors for Public Welfare (DPW) led by former Health Secretary Esperanza Cabral to stop the DOJ’s investigation following the findings of the doctors from the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) that only one of the 14 deaths examined by PAO may be causally associated with the vaccine.

READ: Ex-Health chief, doctors want PAO’s Dengvaxia probe to stop

“I see no reason why it should be stopped at this time,” Aguirre said as he pointed out that PGH’s report was based on documents.

“Yun ang kahinaan ng findings ng doctors [from PGH] hindi sila nag examine ng tissue. Their report was only based on the report of Dr. Erfe,” Aguirre added.

(That is the weakness in the findings of the PGH doctors: they did not examine [the victims’] tissue. Their report was based on record.)

The DOJ secretary said instead of denouncing the forensic examination conducted by the team of Dr. Erwin Erfe, the head of the PAO Forensic Laboratory, his study should be used as a reference point.

“You could call that [result of the examination conducted by the team of Dr. Erfe] a reference point. You could call that fact-finding. Because if you are not an expert, you cannot make an opinion. Ang ibibigay mo sa publiko ay yung nakita mo factually. Nagdudugo ba mga organs, what happened to the liver, the brain? That [the factual findings of Dr. Erfe’s team] ang pinagbasehan ng UP despite the fact na wala silang nakita kahit isang tissue sample, they were able to make an opinion,” Aguirre said as he noted that Dr. Erfe is not a pathologist.

(You could call that result of the examination conducted by the team of Dr. Erfe a reference point. You could call that fact-finding. Because if you are not an expert, you cannot make an opinion. What you will give the public are what you saw factually. Are the organs bleeding? What happened to the liver, the brain? That the factual findings of Dr. Erfe’s team was the basis of UP. Despite the fact that they have not seen even a single tissue sample, they were able to make an opinion.)

Aguirre said President Rodrigo Duterte has called on them, together with PAO Chief Persida Rueda-Acosta, the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC), the Executive Secretary and Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, to discuss the matter on Thursday. /jpv