Aquino criticizes ‘noisy’ expert over Dengvaxia controversy

FILE: Former President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino. (Photo: Senate of the Philippines/Facebook)

Former President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino on Monday criticized a ‘noisy’ forensic expert who made comments on the controversial anti-dengue vaccine Dengvaxia, comparing the specialist’s certification to those fake diplomas produced in Recto, Manila.

“Masakit po nito: Lahat na lang po may opinyon, kwalipikado man o hindi, lalo na po ‘yung isang maingay na ang certification ay tila isang antas lang ang lamang sa nabibiling diploma sa Recto (What hurts is this: Everyone has an opinion, qualified or not, especially that loud expert whose certificate is similar to those diplomas that can be bought in Recto),” Aquino said in his opening statement before the House probe into the government’s immunization program.

Aquino did not disclose the name of the official, however, there have been hearsays that Dr. Erwin Erfe, an expert of the Public Attorney’s Office (PAO), obtained his forensic training from a “certification mill.”

“May nagsiyasat sa certification niya at nagsulat ng artikulo. Galing po ang certification ng maingay na ito sa kuwestyonableng kurso kung saan manonood ka lang daw ng video nang 1 oras at kalahati saka mag-exam nang open book at matapos mong magbayad ng $660 ay certified ka na sa forensics (Someone investigated his certification and wrote an article. The certification of that loud expert came from the suspicious course where you only watch a video for an hour and a half and take an open book examination. After you pay $660, you will be certified in the forensics),” Aquino added.

The former president’s spokesperson Abigail Valte earlier published an article stating that she looked up Erfe on LinkedIn and found out that the expert’s profile lists him as a “Fellow of and Certified Forensic Physician of the American College of Forensic Examiners Inst.”

“I know enough to know that a “forensic physician” is certainly not the same as a forensic pathologist, or even a medical pathologist. I looked up ACFEI (not to be confused with the ACFE, or the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners) and found that it had been the subject of various investigative reports, including one by PBS Frontline and ProPublica called “The Real CSI,” Valte wrote in Malaya article on February 6.

While lambasting the official, Aquino also proposed that only medical experts should discuss the issue.

“Silang mga aral at eksperto, sila po ang ating pagsalitain para mapayuhan tayo ng maayos (We should let those knowledgeable and experts speak to give us proper advice,” he said.

Meanwhile, PAO’s chief Persida Acosta defended Erfe’s qualifications as she showed the latter’s educational background, credentials and achievements during the hearing. She maintained that Erfe is entitled to speak for the agency as its forensic expert.

“Si Doctor Erfe kinukwenstyon ng iba na hindi daw mahusay sa forensics, eh siya po ay consultant namin since 2003 (Doctor Erfe was being accused by others of not being good forensics, when he has been our consultant since 2003),” Acosta stressed.

According to the PAO chief, the forensic expert obtained a certification in public financial management from John F. Kennedy School of Government in Harvard University.

“Hindi po naman mabibili ang certificate sa Harvard. Talagang paghihirapan mo po ‘yan (A certificate from Harvard can’t be bought. Once should work hard for it),” she further said.

Former Health Secretary Esperanza Cabral accused the PAO of causing fear and panic among the public because of their pronouncements on the Dengvaxia controversy.

Due to this, Aquino noted that more people are refusing to have themselves vaccinated.

“Katumbas noon ang posibilidad ng karamdaman, at karugtong noon ang lahat ng uri ng problema: gaya ng pagpapa-ospital, kawalan ng kita, at posible rin ang kamatayan. Baka di ito ang sadya ng mga namumulitika, pero narito na po tayo ngayon (The probability of illness is possible, and then all kinds of problems come next: such as hospitalization, loss of income, and possible death. Maybe those who are politicizing the issue did not aim for this, but here we are now),” the former chief executive explained.

The University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) earlier this month suggested that medical experts and other concerned government agencies should have a “common message” instead of sowing hysteria on the government’s vaccination program.