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| Photo file of Garin, former President Aquino, and Abad (cttto) |
The draft report of the Senate Blue Ribbon charges former
President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III guilty of "malfeasance, misfeasance
and nonfeasance" in connection to the anti-dengue vaccine raps.
The said report was released on Wednesday, stating that Aquino’s
previous meeting with the officials of Sanofi was a violation of Republic Act
6713 or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and
Employees.
Under Section 4b of RA 6713-
public officials and employees “"shall perform and discharge their
duties with the highest degree of excellence, professionalism, intelligence,
and skill... They shall endeavor to discourage wrong perceptions of their roles
as dispensers or peddlers of undue patronage."
"By meeting with mere senior vice presidents of
Sanofi-Pasteur, he was sending a strong message or perception that he was
dispensing undue patronage," the draft report reads.
Meanwhile, the Blue Ribbon Committee said that Aquino endangered
the lives of the Filipino children in grave peril by “simply not caring.”
"He simply did not care. Manhid siya at walang
malasakit. Napakaraming magulang ang nag-aalala, balisa at hindi makatulog.
Hindi nila matiyak kung ano ang sasapitin ng kanilang mga supling (There are so
many parents who were worried, anxious and unable to sleep. They cannot
guarantee what will happen to their offsprings)," the report read.
Aquino’s camp, on the other hand, said that the former
president is willing to additional charges should there be any.
"Former President Aquino has always demonstrated his
readiness to answer questions about his decisions as president. His consistent
participation in legislative investigations and other venues shows this," said
Abigail Valte, Aquino’s spokesperson.
Aside from Aquino, the former Budget secretary Florencio
Abad, and former Health Secretary Janette Garin are also held liable for the
Dengue-vaccine fiasco, the draft report reads.
Senator Richard Gordon, the chair of the Blue Ribbon, said
that primary conspirators must be prosecuted.
"While we were preparing for the [May 2016] elections,
the government purchased, in undue haste, with the approval of President
Benigno S. Aquino III through Budget Secretary Florencio Abad and Health
Secretary Janette Garin together with other certain officials of the Department
of Health a new anti-dengue vaccine called Dengvaxia," Gordon said in a
statement on Wednesday.
"The purchase ignored the objections of local and
international experts from the academe and practitioners who feared that the
subsequent infection after vaccination could bring about severe dengue,"
Gordon said.
Source: Philstar
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