A QUEZON City trial court judge has scheduled the pre-trial of the much-delayed Dengvaxia case, as he is also set to rule on the motions filed by the respondents led by former Health secretary, now Iloilo Rep. Janette Garin, who wants the lawsuit dismissed.
Judge Michael Ken de Jesus of Regional Trial Court-Branch 102, in Tuesday’s hearing, set the pre-trial for Nov. 17, 2025, and Jan. 27, 2026, both at 8:30 a.m.
He was also expected to issue a memorandum after the prosecution and defense panels had submitted all their replies and counter-replies within 20 days over the several motions to quash filed by the lawyers of Garin and her co-accused.
The defense panel argued that the 35 cases currently being handled by de Jesus were similar to the first batch of eight cases, which were dismissed by another family court judge — hence their claim of double jeopardy.
But the prosecution panel said the cases were separate and distinct from each other, as the over 100 children, who all died after they were vaccinated with the banned anti-dengue vaccine, had different medical conditions.
Also, the QC judge has submitted for resolution the motion to release bail filed by one of the accused, Melody Zamudio.
He made sure that all the Dengvaxia criminal cases would be tried under his sala as ordered by the Supreme Court, which designated the family court to handle all Dengvaxia-related cases.
The vaccine, procured by the Department of Health (DOH) for P3.5 billion for a nationwide jab campaign in 2015, was allegedly not evaluated thoroughly for safety and efficacy, leading to the deaths of many children.
Before de Jesus, Judge Cecilyn Burgos-Villavert of the same branch handled the case. No reason was given for her replacement.
Since the suits were filed in 2016, at least five QC judges have taken turns handling the cases, but they were replaced for various reasons, including involuntary or voluntary inhibition.
Samahan ng mga Magulang ang mga Anak ay Biktima ng Dengvaxia (SMABD) President Sumachen Dominguez, interviewed by The Manila Times, said her group is expecting that the judge would not entertain any delaying tactics of the lawyers of Garin and her co-accused.
“We are continuously grieving for the untimely loss of our children over the years, and only justice for them is what we long for in order for all of us to have peace of mind,” Dominguez said in Filipino.
The other co-accused were top executives of vaccine maker Sanofi Pasteur Inc. and vaccine distributor Zuellig Pharma, and officials of the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, Philippine Children’s Medical Center, and Food and Drug Administration.
The Public Attorney’s Office has been providing legal assistance to the parents and relatives belonging to SMABD.
