MANILA, Philippine – A Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) statement on Friday said its chief, Persida Rueda-Acosta did not accuse the government of bribing families of Dengvaxia victims in exchange for dropping criminal charges. PAO issued the statement after Acosta reportedly accused Health Secretary Franciso Duque III and other officials linked to the Dengvaxia mess of allegedly paying off victims’ families P50,000 to drop charges against them. ADVERTISEMENTPresidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo earlier said that Acosta should substantiate her allegations against past and present health officials. Francisco Duque III who are offering the amount of P50,000 to ensure that the case will just be dropped,” the PAO added. Several former and current health officials, as well as manufacturers and local distributors of Dengvaxia are over 30 complaints for the deaths of recipients of the anti-dengue vaccine.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer February 01, 2019 09:00 UTC