TO give himself more time to finalize the resolution on pending motions, a Quezon City trial court judge has again reset the pre-trial hearing of the “long-overdue” Dengvaxia criminal case, involving former Health secretary and now Iloilo Rep. Janette Garin as the principal accused. In an amended order, a copy of which The Manila Times obtained, Judge Michael Ken de Jesus of the Regional Trial Court-Branch 102, set the pre-trial conference on April 7, 2026, at 8:30 a.m. “The undersigned needs more time to finalize the resolution of the pending motions of the parties,” said the judge, who originally set the pretrial hearing for Jan. 27, 2026. The judge was referring to the motions to quash, particularly filed by Garin’s lawyers and other co-accused, seeking to dismiss the cases altogether. Meanwhile, the defense panel argued that the 35 cases currently being handled by de Jesus were no different from the first batch of eight cases previously dismissed by another family court judge, thus raising a double jeopardy claim. But the prosecution panel had said that the cases were separate and distinct from one another, as the over 100 children, who all died after they were vaccinated with the banned anti-dengue vaccine, had different medical conditions. However, the QC judge has assured the concerned parties that all Dengvaxia criminal cases will be tried in 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 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, according to the findings of several health experts and the Forensics Laboratory Division of the Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) headed by its director, Deputy Chief Public Attorney Erwin Erfe. Before de Jesus, Judge Cecilyn Burgos-Villavert of the same branch handled the case. No reason was given for her replacement. Since the cases were filed in 2016, at least five judges have taken turns handling the cases, but they were replaced for various reasons, including involuntary or voluntary inhibitions. Samahan ng mga Magulang ang mga Anak ay Biktima ng Dengvaxia (SMABD) President Sumachen Dominguez, in an interview, said her group was hopeful that the judge would no longer entertain any delaying tactics from the lawyers of Garin and her co-accused. “We are continuously grieving for the untimely loss of our children, and only justice is what we long for for all of us to have peace of mind,” Dominguez said in Filipino. “It has been dragging on for years; our quest for justice has already been delayed for years. Please pity us!” she added. Aside from Garin, her 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. Charged with reckless imprudence resulting in homicide, Garin and her co-accused were also facing civil cases before the QC court. The other respondents were Kenneth Hartigan-Go, Vincent Belizario, Gerardo Bayugo, Irma Asuncion, Julius Lecciones, Mario Baquilod, Sonia Gonzales, Lourdes Santiago, Melody Zamudio, Socorro Lupisan, Maria Rosario Capeding, Carlito Realuyo, Conchita Santos, Maria Joyce Ducusin, and Rosalind Vianzon, said to be all medical practitioners. Under the stewardship of its chief, Persida Rueda-Acosta, PAO has been providing legal assistance to the parents and relatives belonging to SMABD, particularly in civil cases.