Sandiganbayan clears Janette Garin and allies of Dengvaxia graft charges

The Sandiganbayan Second Division ruled on Tuesday that Iloilo Representative Janette Garin and her co-accused are acquitted of graft charges tied to the 2015 procurement of Dengvaxia vaccines. The case also involved former Health undersecretaries Gerardo Bayugo and Kenneth Hartigan-Go, as well as former officials of the Philippine Children’s Medical Center. Prosecutors had alleged that the officials conspired to divert government funds for a vaccine not yet part of the Department of Health’s Expanded Program on Immunization or the national drug formulary.

Garin welcomed the decision, saying it vindicates scientists and public-health experts who advocated for the dengue immunisation programme. She warned against anti-vaccine rhetoric and emphasized that vaccination saves lives. Hartigan-Go reiterated that he never promoted the product through his former foundation. The controversy dates back to 2017 when safety concerns about Dengvaxia led the government to suspend the school-based immunisation effort.