Former President Aquino to attend Dengvaxia hearing

Former President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III will attend the hearing on the dengue vaccine controversy at the House of Representatives on Monday, according to his staff.

Aquino will be accompanied by former Budget Secretary Florencio “Butch” Abad.

“As should be expected by any citizen from our institutions, we certainly hope that [today’s] hearing will be an avenue to elevate public discourse on this important issue. Fairness in these proceedings should always be the rule, regardless of the stature of the resource persons invited, not the exception,” said Aquino’s spokesperson, Abigail Valte.

The House committee on good government and public accountability is investigating the government’s purchase of P3.5 billion worth of dengue vaccine Dengvaxia from French pharmaceutical firm Sanofi Pasteur.

The Aquino administration launched the nationwide immunization program in response to the increasing incidence of dengue in the country that had led to a number of deaths.

“It was incumbent upon us to be able to look for systems, procedures, means to protect the people. And around that time, the vaccine, good for all four strains, was being developed and nearing completion of all the steps before it could be made available for everybody,” Aquino said last year, when he attended the Senate hearing on the Dengvaxia controversy.