“They are all liars!”

This was the bold accusation made by Chief Public Attorney Persida Rueda-Acosta against health officials who claimed the government’s scuttled anti-dengue immunization program did not cause deaths among vaccinated children.

GONE TOO SOON Nelson De Guzman (left) and Ramil Pestillos (center), fathers respectively of Christine Mae and Anjielica, two children believed to have died after being inoculated with Dengvaxia, hold photos of their children as they enter the Department of Justice building accompanied by Public Attorney’s Office chief Persida Acosta. PHOTO BY MARY DAGOY

Acosta and the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC ) presented to the media on Tuesday the parents of children who died because of severe dengue after receiving Dengvaxia shots, and vowed to help bring those responsible to justice.

“There is an ongoing wide-scale cover up of senior DoH (Department of Health) officials. I urge the NBI (National Bureau of Investigation) to really investigate DoH,” VACC lawyer Ferdinand Topacio told reporters.

Get the latest news
delivered to your inbox
Sign up for The Manila Times newsletters
By signing up with an email address, I acknowledge that I have read and agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

More than 830,000 children from public schools in Metro Manila, Central Luzon, Calabarzon and Cebu were administered the Dengvaxia vaccine beginning in 2016.

The government stopped the vaccination program this month after its manufacturer, French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi Pasteur, disclosed that the vaccine might worsen the disease in those who have not been exposed previously to dengue.

Ramil Pestillos, father of 10-year-old Anjielica Pestillos and Nelson de Guzman, father of 11-year-old Christine de Guzman, were present in a news conference in Manila on Tuesday.

De Guzman said his daughter Christine had no history of dengue infection.

She suffered from severe headache and fever on October 11, 2016 and was rushed to Bataan General Hospital on October 14. Christine died on October 15.

De Guzman recalled that his daughter received a Dengvaxia shot in April 2016.

Pestillos said his daughter Anjielica received a Dengvaxia shot on September 13, 2016. She recently had a dengue infection and died on December 6.

Acosta said all victims will receive free legal assistance after Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre 2nd signed Department Order 792, which authorized PAO to extend legal assistance in civil, criminal and administrative cases to all possible victims of Dengvaxia-related injuries, illness and deaths.