Former President Benigno Aquino III gave his opening statement during the senate blue ribbon committee’s investigation on the Dengvaxia controversy.
In his opening statement, Aquino explained that the reason why he was attracted by the vaccine made by Sanofi is because of the increasing cases of Dengue in the Philippines that need to be resolve immediately.
He recounted that he visited Paris on December 2015, to attend a Climate Change conference when he was informed that the vaccine made by Sanofi Pasteur against Dengue was ready.
Aquino also said that the people think that when they were vaccinated by Dengvaxia, there’s a big possibility that they might possibly die because of severe dengue.
Opening Statement of Former President Noynoy Aquino during the Senate Investigation on Dengvaxia controversy.
He pointed out the the role of the government is to keep the people calm and explain to them that they don’t need to panic over the controversy.
“Sa lahat po ng usapin ngayon ukol sa Dengvaxia, kung di man diretsong sinasabi, ang pakiwari ay kung nagpa-bakuna ka, tila nalalapit ka sa pinakamalubhang uri ng Dengue. Tila nalalapit ka sa kamatayan.” Aquino said.
“Kung tatakutin mo nang husto ang tao, darating ang punto na di na sila makakakilos dahil sa kaba. Klaro po sa amin noon , trabaho ng gobyerno na pakalmahin at suportahan ang Pilipino, kaya nung Pangulo ako, kinastigo ko ang mga opisyal na mahilig magpakaba ng sambayanan.” he added.
Aquino explained that if Sanofi didn’t fail in their vaccine, the people might complaint to him that his administration didn’t gave them the anti-dengue vaccine.
No one also protested against the anti-Dengue vaccination program of the government before the announcement of Sanofi Pasteur.
“Kung di lumabas itong sianbi ng Sanofi, at nagdesisyon akong hayaan na lang na magdusa pa ng karaniwang Pilipino, gayong may bakuna na, palagay ko ngayon, iba na ang tanong ninyo at asunto sakin: Bakit mo pinabayaan ang kababayan mo?” he said.
According to him, in a worst case scenario, if 2.8 million Filipinos suffered in Dengue, it might cost the government to spend 58.2 billion pesos to give them free medical treatment, compared the the P3.5-B cost of the vaccination program against the deadly fever.
In the last part of his opening statement, Aquino said that he vowed to leave the Philippines a better place before his term ended, so he also made a way to resolve the increasing cases of Dengue in the Philippines.
“Nangako akong iiwan ko ang Pilipinas na mas maganda kesa sa aking dinatnan. Kaakibat noon ang pagbawas sa gastos at kaba at pasanin ng aking mga Boss, ang sambayanang Pilipino.” Aquino said.
Parents of the children who got vaccinated, raised alarm after Sanofi Pasteur announced that a person who got vaccinated by Dengvaxia is possibly got a ‘severe dengue’ if they don’t have any history of Philippine Hemorrhagic Fever.
Its estimated that 700,000 people were vaccinated by Dengvaxia.
Philippines and Brazil are the only countries in the world that distributed the anti-dengue vaccine to the public.
An official of Department of Health believed that the procurement of the Dengvaxia were rushed by the Aquino administration.
“Sa loob ng tatlong buwan, napagalaw nila ang P3 billion na procurement, eh napakabilis noon,” Former Health Undersecretary Susan Mercado said.
“Kung magpapatakbo kayo ng pagpapabakuna, dalawang taon ‘yan,” he added.
The vaccination program began on April 2016, just a month before the May presidential elections.
