(Eagle News)–Senator Risa Hontiveros called on Public Attorneys Office chief Persida Acosta to resign, following the measles outbreak in several parts of the country which some blamed on the hype made by the lawyer of the Dengvaxia controversy.
“(Her) lies have slain children…. Her lies and hysterics contributed directly to the erosion of public trust in our vaccination programs. And because of this, 55 children have lost their lives to measles, and an outbreak now threatens four regions of our country,” Hontiveros said.
According to the senator, from the start, she already “expressed my disappointment in Acosta for not including experts from the University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) in their Dengvaxia investigation.”
She said their “expertise on the matter could have greatly contributed to PAO’s probe,” and could have “ended speculations that the issue was being politicized and prevented unnecessary panic and fear among the public.”
“Acosta’s scaremongering and politically-motivated investigations on the Dengvaxia issue, that defied science and the advice of experts, sowed fear in the hearts of so many parents to have their children vaccinated since the past year,” Hontiveros said, noting that a “responsible public servant would have called for calm.”
“The fact that she refuses any responsibility for her actions not only betrays public trust but also insults all the families she has injured,” she said.
