PAO asks Supreme Court to consolidate Dengvaxia cases

The Public Attorney's Office (PAO) has asked the Supreme Court to consolidate and transfer to a Quezon City court seven criminal cases in connection with deaths allegedly linked to the dengue vaccine Dengvaxia.

In an urgent petition filed Thursday, the PAO requested the High Court to refer the cases to the Quezon City Regional Trial Court's (RTC) Office of the Clerk of Court for raffling to a family court.

PAO lawyers represent more than 30 families that have accused former Health secretary Janette Garin and several others of reckless imprudence resulting in homicide over the deaths of their children, who they said were vaccinated with Dengvaxia.

Garin and 19 others have been indicted in connection with eight of dozens of complaints. Seven of eight cases arising from the indictments have been filed in courts in Quezon City, San Pedro, Laguna; Muntinlupa City, Balanga, Bataan; and Caloocan City.

In its filing, the PAO said hearing the cases in multiple courts will "unduly delay the proceedings" and may open the possibility of "conflicting decisions on cases which arose from the same series of events, have substantially the same factual background and essentially the same proofs."

They said the cases will require "substantially the same set of witnesses" and documentary evidence, and added that joining the trial of the seven cases will save the prosecution, the defense, and the court's resources.

The cases stem from what the Department of Justice (DOJ) found was "inexcusable lack of precaution and foresight" on the part of Garin and other Health officials when they bought P3.5-billion worth of the vaccine and administered it to more than 800,000 school children.

The DOJ said the officials "circumvented various regulations" in the purchase of the vaccine.

More than 20 similar complaints are pending before investigating prosecutors.

The Department of Health has repeatedly claimed the alleged link between the vaccine's effects and the deaths, mostly of children, has not been proven.

The PAO also asked the SC to designate a special court in the Quezon City RTC to hear and decide pending civil cases over the Dengvaxia controversy. — RSJ, GMA News