Are there vested interests behind the Dengvaxia immunization program of the health department?
That question begs for clear answers amid the ongoing probe into the botched immunization program.
When he appeared before the Senate recently, former President Benigno S. Aquino III said it was then-Health Secretary Enrique Ona who introduced the concept of dengue immunization during his term. Ona pushed for approval of a vaccine called ActRx Triact a supposed dengue cure, way back in October 2014. He even issued a directive, Department Order 2014-161, supporting its use for a national program in view of what he said was the high rate of dengue incidence in the Philippines that had already assumed epidemic proportions. A Department of Health undersecretary, Dr. Ted Herbosa, headed the bids and awards committee that approved trials of the anti-dengue vaccine.
When Janette Garin took over as Acting Health Secretary, she ordered an investigation based on the allegations of Dr. Anthony Leachon that ActRx Triact did not have Food and Drug Administration approval, and later discontinued the trials. Leachon, the same whistle-blower in the current Dengvaxia fiasco, supported Garin’s move. He said, “The trials were unethical, mumbo-jumbo and voodoo type of study,” referring to the tests of ActRx Triact. He also said that, “while there is no medicine for dengue right now, a vaccine is already being developed,” obviously referring to CYD-TDV or what was to become Dengvaxia. Leachon knew about Dengvaxia because of studies by the World Health Organization (WHO), which had expressed concern over the experimental drug. Leachon was part of the panel of experts that Garin had consulted about ActRx Triact.
In 2016 Garin would implement the school-based immunization program in three regions with the highest incidence of dengue using the WHO-approved dengue vaccine Dengvaxia as developed by Sanofi.
Leachon, who was a director of PhilHealth under Garin in 2015, would later on lead the opposition to the Dengvaxia immunization program. But his attacks on current Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III has fueled speculation that he may simply be presenting himself as an alternative to Duque.
Former Health Secretary Paulyn Jean B. Rosell-Ubial had defended the school-based dengue immunization program. She continued the program and expanded it during her term by adding Cebu and the administration of doses to over 10,000 policemen and their families. According to Rosell-Ubial, she agreed with the decision of a panel of experts she had formed, which included Leachon, who advised her to go on with the second and third doses to schoolchildren.
What about Dr. Susan Pineda-Mercado, who has been saying that Dengvaxia is no good and has been giving credence to the findings of the Public Attorney’s Office (PAO), particularly its medico-legal chief, Dr. Erwin Erfe? Is it true that she still has an axe to grind with PNoy because he did not follow Ona’s recommendation for her to assume office as health secretary, appointing Garin instead? The doctor is also raising issues against Duque, who’s in charge of resolving the Dengvaxia fiasco.
And there’s PAO chief Persida V. Rueda-Acosta, who’s banking on the findings of Dr. Erfe and his team that Dengvaxia is to blame for the death of several children. Is it also true that she may just be fanning the embers of dissent and making noise for a political agenda?
One cannot help but wonder if all this is really about the welfare of children given Dengvaxia or simply a convenient platform for vested interests to gain control of the health department.
Who’s afraid of open-pit mining?
President Duterte recently said that, after seeing firsthand the negative effects of open-pit mining in the country, he was inclined to uphold the ban on the mining practice imposed in April 2017 by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources under then-Secretary Regina Paz L. Lopez.
The ban on open-pit mining has been staunchly opposed by the Chamber of Mines of the Philippines, which said the mining industry would suffer heavily from it. The mining companies under COMP assert that, officially, it adopted a mining sustainability standard developed by the Mining Association of Canada called Toward Sustainable Mining. TSM requires mining companies to conduct an annual assessment of their performance in key areas, including tailings management, community outreach, safety and health, biodiversity conservation, crisis management, energy use and greenhouse-gas emissions management.
Not surprisingly, the interagency Mining Industry Coordinating Council is also opposed to the ban on open-pit mining and has recommended its lifting to Duterte as it asserted that mining companies are willing to abide by mining laws, rules and regulations.
For his part, Environment Secretary Roy A. Cimatu has said that he would defer to the opinion of the experts, but the final decision lies with the President. Research on the Internet yield interesting information about the subject.
Open-pit mining is a type of mineral extraction that does not require tunneling into the earth. When a mineral is near the surface, companies typically opt for open-pit mining due to its lower costs and increased efficiency. Open-pits are typically dug in tiers and with angled walls to cut-down the risk of collapse or falling rocks. These holes can be tens of kilometers wide and thousands of feet deep. Generally, these pits increase in size until the minerals are thoroughly depleted. Furthermore, large trucks can enter an open-pit mine, allowing for a more efficient transition from extraction to processing.
Open-pit mining is much more efficient compared to underground mining. Those who advocate open-pit mining believe that the recovery rate of materials is higher using the method. It is estimated that about 80 percent to 90 percent of the material can be recovered compared to the 50 percent recovered using tunnel mining.
As open-pit mining requires no underground infrastructure, it offers safer working conditions. Injury rates among workers are significantly lower. Cave-ins or the collapse of a tunnel are virtually eliminated, as workers aren’t exposed to risks like the collapse of a tunnel—a risk that is inherent in underground mining—and buildup of toxic gases, which can cause sudden explosions or contribute to chronic illnesses, does not occur.
Finally, open-pit mining is significantly less costly than underground mining. Infrastructure and labor savings are passed on to the buyer of mined materials, which eventually trickles down to the consumer.
Open-pit mining is an internationally accepted method for mining and is in accordance with the Mining Act of the Philippines. But companies doing open-pit mining also have big responsibilities.
The most important, from where we sit, is that they should undertake rehabilitation of the open-pit mine after it completes its operation.
The mining companies should also ensure that host communities would benefit in terms of road infrastructure, education and health facilities, among others.
E-mail: ernhil@yahoo.com.