LOCAL POST SEALED. Former Department of Health Secretary Janette Garin was proclaimed by the Commission on Elections as winning candidate for Iloilo's first congressional district race on Thursday afternoon (May 16, 2019). She defeated her rival, former Miag-ao town mayor Gerardo Flores. (PNA photo by Gail Momblan)
ILOILO CITY -- Former Department of Health secretary Janette Garin has won over her opponent in the first district congressional race in the recent mid-term elections with an overwhelming 121,503 votes.
This, despite opponent General Gerardo Flores threw issues against her, on top of which is the Dengvaxia issue, Garin said. Flores only garnered 27, 658 votes,
“The result showed that the issue did not affect the result of the elections. It is because the issue is not true and the people in the first district are intelligent enough to decide for what is true or not,” Garin said in an interview on Thursday afternoon after her proclamation by the Commission on Elections.
The DOH, then headed by Garin in 2016, launched a school-based anti-dengue vaccination program using Dengvaxia.
Flores in November 2018 staged a “funeral caravan” in the first district of Iloilo to seek justice for children who died allegedly through the administration of the Dengvaxia vaccine to those who have not yet contracted the disease.
This, after maker Sanofi Pasteur announced that the vaccine may lead to more severe symptoms of dengue if administered to those who have never been infected by dengue prior to vaccination.
Although the issue did not impact on the election results, Garin admitted that it affected her campaign.
She said various cases against her were filed before eight Municipal Trial Courts (MTCs) when the campaign period started.
“I posted bail immediately in the eight MTCs for me to freely campaign. There was a lot of scheduled arraignments but we were fortunate that the judges and the legal minds prevailed,” she said.
The First District representative-elect said the Dengvaxia controversy should be “a lesson to all health experts, doctors, and scientists” to focus on health care.
She said many had been swayed by false information, not only on the Dengvaxia issue which believed to scare guardians to have their children vaccinated but also in other aspects in the medical scene.
“I will possibly push for a legislation for doctors spreading false information. I am not referring to Dengvaxia, but there are some patients who were deceived by false news,” she said.
Garin ran under the Nacionalista Party while Flores ran as independent candidate.
Meanwhile, winning the second congressional district race was Mike Gorriceta of the Nacionalista Party. He ran against Dennis Superficial of National Unity Party.
Lorenz Defensor of the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan won the third district congressional race against Manny Gallar of the Nacionalista Party.
For the fourth district, Toto BJ Biron succeeded Marven Daquilanea of the PDP-Laban, while Raul Tupas of the Nacionalista Party edged Niel Tupas in Iloilo’s fifth congressional race. (PNA)
