By Jeffrey Damicog
Lawmakers connected with the law firm of Dengvaxia manufacturer Sanofi Pastuer have shown conflict of interest when they slashed the budget of the forensic laboratory of the Public Attorney’s Office (PAO), said PAO chief Persida Acosta.
Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) Chief Persida Rueda Acosta (Persida Acosta Facebook)
“Bakit ninyo gagamitin ang kamara para gantihan ang mga bikitima (Why should you use Congress to get back at the victims)?” said Acosta since PAO has been suing, on behalf of the families of the victims, those believed responsible for the deaths caused by the still experimental dengue vaccine.
“Lumaban kayo ng patas sa korte (Fight fair in court),” said Acosta.
She stressed the importance of the autopsies conducted by PAO forensic laboratory in the filing of the suits in the Dengvaxia cases.
The bicameral conference committee has approved the P4.1-trillion national budget for 2020 but did not include the P19.5-million budget for the PAO forensic laboratory granted by President Rodrigo Duterte under the National Expenditure Program (NEP).
Though the P19.5-million budget passed the budget hearing at the House of Representatives, Acosta said Senators Sonny Angara and Franklin Drilon slashed the budget for the PAO forensic lab.
“Actually conflict of interest ang ginagawa po nila dahil involved ang partido nila sa Dengvaxia (What they did was conflict of interest since their party is involved with the Dengvaxia case),” the PAO chief said.
“Kapag ikaw legislator ka, ang law firm mo kalaban ng PAO sa Dengvaxia, bakit ikaw ang magtatapyas ng budget. Hindi ba conflict of interest yun (When you are a legislator and your law firm is the opponent of PAO in the Dengvaxia case, why should you be involved in the budget cuts. Isn’t that conflict of interest),” she asked.
The law firm of Sanofi is the Angara Abella Concepcion Regalla and Cruz Law Offices (ACCRA).
The ACCRA website lists Drilon as the law firm’s senior counsel, and Angara’s father, the late former Senator Edgardo Angara, as one of its founding partners.
“Sa Senado sino ba ang mga lawyer na ACCRA na senador, sila nagtapyas (The ACCRA lawyers in the Senate made the budget slash),” Acosta said.
“ACCRA ang lawyer ng Sanofi. Hindi ba conflict of interest yun, nasa code of professional responsibility (ACCRA is the lawyer of Sanofi. Isn’t that conflict of interest under the code of professional responsibility,” she added.
Meanwhile, the PAO chief renewed calls to president Rodrigo Duterte to veto the provision of the general appropriations bill for the 2020 budget which limits the PAO from using its maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE) for the PAO forensic lab.
“Nitong bago mag-bicam nitong lunes lamang, nabalitaan namin may sinuksok ang grupo ni Congressman Edcel Lagman ng Liberal Party (We learned that this provision was inserted just last Monday before the bicameral conference by the group of Rep. Edcel Lagman of the LIberal Party),” Acosta said.
She reminded that other victims crimes have benefited from the work of the PAO forensic lab, not just the Dengvaxia victims.
Acosta said the autopsy reports of the PAO forensic lab have been used as part of evidence in court proceedings including the conviction of the three policemen in the 2017 killing of Grade 11 student Kian delos Sentos who slain during the conduct of “Oplan Galugad” anti-illegal drugs operations in Caloocan City.