By Mario Casayuran
The opposition Liberal Party (LP) slammed yesterday the draft of the Senate Blue Ribbon committee report on the Dengvaxia (dengue vaccine) controversy as a cover up of government fiascos.
FILE PHOTO: Concepcion Yusop, a national immunization program manager, shows dengue vaccine Dengvaxia in Sta. Cruz city, Metro Manila, Philippines, December 4, 2017. REUTERS/Romeo Ranoco/File Photo/MANILA BULLETIN
The LP also questioned the timing of the release of the committee draft report on the Dengvaxia issue, saying this is simply a smokescreen of the Duterte administration to hide the issues hounding its officials,” former congressman Erin Tanada, now LP vice president for external affairs, said.
"Why was the committee report released to the public before it has been filed or sponsored (on the Senate floor)? Are not the signatures of majority of the committee members required before the report can be filed?" Tanada asked.
"What happens to the report if the majority disagrees? he asked.
The report is now being routed to senators-members of committee for their signatures which may indicate their concurrence or dissent.
`The committee is chaired by Sen. Richard J. Gordon who released the draft report during a press conference with Senate reporters last Tuesday.
Senator Paolo Benigno Aquino IV agreed with Tanada.
“Though this report has not been made available to the members of the Blue Ribbon Committee, if the final report reflects yesterday’s statements and political leanings, we will have serious concerns with the conclusions made,” Aquino said.
Moreover, Aquino maintained that no child has died due to the Dengvaxia vaccine.
"Ang isang mahalaga na lumabas sa presscon kahapon ay wala pang napatutunayan na may batang namatay dahil sa Dengvaxia vaccine," he said. (Whast is important during the Gordon’s press conference last Tuesday was that there is no medical report showing that school children died because of being vaccinated with Dengvaxia.)
Tanada pointed out that the release coincided with the impending closure of Boracay Island, the President’s order to the House of Representatives to hasten the impeachment process against Chief Justice Lourdes Sereno, and the rising prices of goods and services.
“Nais na naman nilang ilihis ang isyu mula sa kapalpakan at kontrobersyang bumabalot sa administrasyong ito para matuon sa LP ang galit ng taumbayan,” said Tanada. (The Duterte administration wants to shift the people’s attention from its mistakes and fiascos to the LP.)
Ifugao Rep. Teddy Baguilat doubted the fairness of Gordon’s report, saying that it focused mainly on the past administration, but did not dwell on the current government.
“Hindi lang sa nakaraang administrasyon ipinatupad ang bakuna sa Dengvaxia kundi sa kasalukuyang administrasyon. Nakakapagtaka na nakatuon lang ang report ni Senator. Gordon sa nakalipas na administrasyon,” Baguilat said. (Although the vaccination took place during the past Aquino administration and the current Duterte administration, the Gordon report focuses its attention solely on the past administration.)