PAO cries foul over ‘anti-vaxxer’ tag

MANILA –  The Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) said it fully supports the government’s current vaccination initiatives as it cried foul over criticism that it is against the administration of vaccines.

“PAO is not anti-vaccine. For lack of a better defense, personalities linked to Dengvaxia have vilified the PAO, making the PAO appear as anti-vaxxers out to destroy people’s confidence in vaccines,” chief public attorney Persida Rueda-Acosta said in a statement on Monday.

“Personalities linked to Dengvaxia…have recently embarked on a media campaign to frustrate the government’s Covid-19 vaccination campaign and vilify the PAO blaming the PAO for the people’s vaccine hesitancy,” she added.

Acosta, however, said PAO will pursue cases against those implicated in the deaths arising from the Dengvaxia anti-dengue vaccine.

“PAO will never encroach into politics, not in public health issues. It seeks only to perform its mandate of giving justice to the victims and survivors and follow the DOJ (Department of Justice) directive of assisting Dengvaxia victims,” it further said.

PAO said it has filed 157 criminal cases on behalf of 155 dead victims and two surviving victims.

One hundred criminal complaints have also filed with the DOJ are now undergoing preliminary investigation.