The whole problem with the Dengvaxia issue (and other issues of national consequence for that matter) is that the focus of commentators is on personalities and pointing fingers at them. It also does not help that the pre-eminent Opposition “thought leaders” like Jim Paredes are leading the thinking down such a moronic path…
Who really allowed the continuation of the DOH program despite issuing a resolution two months earlier that the vaccine is dangerous.
Hello Dr Ubial? This is under Duterte. Not under PNOY. FYI.
What really should be discussed is the process that led to this debacle. Processes after all, transcend governments and are, supposedly, anchored to policy and legislation. So far, the only process issue proposed as having contributed to a health debacle that has allegedly put more than 700,000 Filipino children at risk is the manner with which the vaccine was procured and funded. Recall that Senator Richard Gordon earlier pointed out that procurement of the Dengvaxia vaccine by the DOH was not done using Congress-appropriated funds. He even went further to liken the method of funding of the project to the notorious Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) of the Aquino government where “budget savings” were used to fast track the funding of “priority” initiatives.
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The issue will not be resolved at the dismal intellectual levels where much of the “debate” is happening — even the best and brightest commenting on the issue are applying their partisan colours and masking accountability rather than looking out for what is relevant to ordinary Filipinos. Specifically, there are numbers to be crunched and objective facts that need to be highlighted above the emotionalism that is clouding the issue.
Inquirer columnist Randy David extrudes a lengthy piece just to say, in effect, that mistakes are possible and that Filipinos just need to deal with it — specifically deal with a possible loss of 3.5 billion pesos on a dud product and 700,000 Filipino kids left at risk of the ill effects of a drug deployed en masse that, as it turns out, requires careful case-to-case evaluation by qualified physicians before administration is prescribed.
Manuel L Quezon III who was an undersecretary under the administration of former President Benigno Simeon ‘BS’ Aquino III also in an Inquirer article for his part cited Brazil as an example of a government that has decided to proceed with their Dengvaxia programme even after the Sanofi announcement. Quezon provides a more informed premise to support more intelligent discussion around the issue and uses the Brazil example to illustrate the sort of thinking required such a discussion in the Philippine setting. Indeed, current Health Secretary Francisco Duque himself is among the more sober heads in the government of President Rodrigo Duterte calling for a more calm and mature discussion on the issue.
That said, the fact that the Dengvaxia issue has become such a “trending” topic is enough cause to pause and reflect on the roots of this circus. The root cause has less to do with the arguments of the respective parties in this debate and has more to do with the emotionalism that tends to engulf commentary around issues like this. The lesson here is that, in discussing complex issues like these, the boys (and the celebrities) need to be separated from the men — the earlier left to the play area, and the latter given their place at the proverbial round table.
benign0 is the Webmaster of GetRealPhilippines.com.
Manuel Quezon is a goddamn idiot, does he read or watch the news in Brazil? it’s corrupt government record for the last 4 years is undergoing rabid protests and investigations and they are also following suit in stopping the sales of vaccine and any vaccination programs. And what I can get from this, the last administrations from Mexico, Brazil, and the Philippines made a deal with Sanofi for some “Human Trials” with a discount from them and some of their officials got kickbacks for supporting their fast tracking with this, I saw newspaper clippings, news reports, and online articles that say the same in Mexico and Brazil, I’m all for calling for calm but with idiots like these, conflicts of interests, damage control, and the partisans idiots like Jimmy ‘Champagne Socialist” Parades laying all blame to the current administration, I’m just seeing political expedience by a bunch of hypocrites, even Roque who even had a hand on this Denguegate idiocy by not exposing his role when he was a party-list representative who argued against stopping the Vaccination Program and not confirming the DOH head candidate.
TL;DR. Big Pharma company Sanofi made deals to advertise their expensive product with the Mexican, Brazilian and Philippine Government to allow them to conduct “Human Trials” with WHOI approval, with the same story as medical experts and politicians in their respective countries opposing this, same story with fast-tracking the approval and purchase of the vaccine. It’s not genocide, but it’s goddamn corruption and a gigantic waste of money now in the pockets of officials and a big pharma company.
Do you know why Sanofi Pasteur, the pharmaceutical company that made Dengvaxia to test it to 700,000+ Filipino children to become a human guinea pig instead of a real guinea pig? Maybe that’s because the company is very concern on the bad effects on animal testing to a new drug.
Oh how I remembered this controversial joke before from a Englishwoman comedian who quoted it that this cosmetic product wasn’t tested by animals but it was tested through Filipino children. Now we all know the answers to this problem.
It is the fault of Aquino and Janette Garin, to have allowed this controversial Dengvaxia vaccine, to be used in our country. The World Health Organization, had already sounded the alarm; and the alarm was ignored by Aquino and Garin… There was no thorough studies done by the Sanofi vaccine manufacturer, on the positive and negative outcome of those vaccinated . The Aquino administration was very much in a hurry to purchase the vaccine,.. and use them on, 700,000 Filipino children as “guinea pigs”…
Anyway, what were they hurrying for, to purchase the vaccine ?
The Duterte administration was also to blame. To let this untested vaccine to continue its use on school children.
Maybe, Sanofi vaccine manufacturer, wanted real human beings, to be used as guinea pigs, in its studies, to test the effectiveness of the vaccine. So, children who has no previous dengue illness, were vaccinated. Second infection of dengue to them will be fatal.
There must be an open investigation of this massive stupidity and corruption. Let us inject those responsible for this stupidity, with 700,000 vaccines, as their punishment. Whether they may be Aquino, Garin, Duque, etc…
This is the most stupid “mistake”, i have ever seen. Or, it is just plain old Greed, to steal from the DAP !
YES, a GREAT IDEA, TOINJECT AQUINO AND DUETERTE as punishment for allowing 700,000 Filipino children to eff3 tively be used as guinea pigs. These scumbags make sure of one thing: that the truth will never come out, the guilty are the leading politicians of the day that will pander to their fan base while talking out of both sides of their mouth, both sides spouting more lies than the other.
The loser, in all of ths, is the people that have been,once again, robbed by the scumbag politicians and Big Pharma….and the children that were injected/infected withthis DENGCRAPSIA vaccine.
Yes greed is the reason. Yesterday, I heard from news that the DOH tried to open market on denguevaxia.
The vaccine was approved for use by Singapore and Thailand also, though a little later. At some point it came out in the press much earlier than now that this was a problem. Now they have a new test which will show if the person vaccinated had a wild Dengue infection. Think about testing the kids to see who actually is at risk. Take the time to think it through first.
A true gentleman is one who has set his heart upon the Way. A fellow who is ashamed merely of shabby clothing or modest meals is not even worth conversing with.