The Commission on Audit has cleared former officials of the Department of Health (DOH) in connection with the purchase of P3.5 billion worth of Dengvaxia, a vaccine against dengue. Former Health Secretary Janette Garin earlier justified the project, saying the vaccines came cheap. Three other countries purchased the vaccine, I believe Thailand, Mexico and Brazil, and we still procured it at the cheapest price. The vaccine had been administered to nearly 500,000 elementary school students. The project was stopped because some lawmakers questioned the legality of the purchase since only one bidder, pharmaceutical distributor Zuellig, participated in the bidding.

Source: Manila Times February 21, 2017 13:05 UTC