MANILA— The Sandiganbayan Special Second Division acquitted Iloilo First District Representative and Deputy Speaker Janette Garin and four other former health officials of graft and technical malversation charges stemming from the government’s P3.55-billion procurement of Dengvaxia vaccines in 2015.

Garin, who was health secretary at the time, was cleared alongside former Department of Health (DOH) undersecretaries Gerardo Bayugo and Kenneth Hartigan-Go, former DOH officer-in-charge director Joyce Ducusin, and former Philippine Children’s Medical Center (PCMC) executive director Julius Lecciones.

The anti-graft court also ordered the cancellation of the accused’s cash bonds and the release of the posted amounts, subject to standard accounting and auditing procedures. It likewise lifted the hold departure orders issued against all five officials.

Speaking to reporters after the ruling, Garin described their acquittal as a victory for scientists and public health professionals who continued to support vaccination efforts despite the controversy surrounding Dengvaxia.

“So again, natutuwa kami, this is a win, not for me, but for our scientists and public health experts. Sana po hindi na maulit na napupulitika ang kalusugan dahil nagiging sakripisyo ito. Marami ang outbreaks na nangyari,” she said.

Garin said fear of vaccines had contributed to deaths from certain diseases, adding that doctors, researchers, and public health experts should not abandon immunization efforts despite opposition from anti-vaccine groups.

“Well, I have not been campaigning for dengue vaccine alone. We have been advocating for all vaccines,” she said.

She also said the dengue immunization program had remained suspended following the controversy, although its allocated funding continued to be included in the DOH budget.

“‘Yung 3.55 billion na nakalaan para sa dengue immunization program ay nagpatuloy sa lahat ng taon up to this current year. Pero hindi naman siya ginamit sa dengue vaccine kasi nga naka-hold,” she said.

The cases stemmed from allegations that Garin and other health officials illegally diverted government funds to procure Dengvaxia for the Aquino administration’s school-based dengue immunization program.

The Office of the Ombudsman filed graft and technical malversation charges against the officials in 2023 over the alleged diversion of P3.55 billion from the Miscellaneous Personnel Benefits Fund for the vaccine purchase.

Prosecutors alleged that the procurement involved funds allocated for purposes other than purchasing Dengvaxia, which had not been included in the DOH’s Expanded Program on Immunization or listed in the Philippine National Drug Formulary at the time.

Garin previously denied illegally realigning the funds, maintaining that the allocation had been approved by the Department of Budget and Management and covered by a Special Allotment Release Order.

Hartigan-Go also denied promoting Dengvaxia through the Zuellig Family Foundation, where he served as executive director from 2001 to 2009.

“We never promoted any product, advertised or sold through the foundation,” he said.

The Dengvaxia controversy erupted in 2017 after French pharmaceutical company Sanofi Pasteur disclosed that the vaccine could increase the risk of severe dengue among people who had never previously contracted the virus.

The government subsequently suspended its dengue vaccination program, which had covered hundreds of thousands of schoolchildren.