The Manila Times
SUSPENDED Dr. Anthony "Tony" Leachon on Sunday said that he would not be silenced by the disciplinary action imposed against him by the Philippine College of Physicians (PCP) as he vowed to continue “telling the truth and fulfilling my responsibilities” in connection with the cases, stemming from the use of anti-dengue vaccine Dengvaxia on schoolchildren, filed before a Quezon City trial court. “My participation has never been about personalities or politics. It has always been about accountability, transparency, and respect for the families who continue to seek answers,” Leachon, who is a top prosecution witness, told The Manila Times via Viber. “Recent developments, including the public circulation of a disciplinary decision issued by PCP against me, should not distract us from the central issue: Dengvaxia cases are finally moving forward before the courts after years of delay,” said Leachon, a known public health advocate and a former Health Department official. He believed that Dr. Kenneth Go, a former Health undersecretary, was not solely responsible for the filing of ethics complaints against him before the PCP. “This is not accurate. Dr. Go served as spokesperson for the complainants, who also included other respondents in the pending Dengvaxia cases, among them (Iloilo) Rep. Janette Garin and former Department of Health officials facing criminal and civil cases arising from the Dengvaxia controversy,” he said. “They’re the ones who might have released the internal documents of the PCP decision to the media in an orchestrated manner to discredit me,” he added. Leachon noted that his six-month suspension by PCP has coincided with his filing of a cyber libel complaint against Garin. “While I fully respect the PCP as an institution and its processes, the timing naturally invites public scrutiny, particularly since the rules provide a 15-day period within which parties may appeal an adverse decision,” Leachon pointed out. “More importantly, the complainants themselves publicly circulated and discussed the decision despite the watermark and confidentiality warning appearing on the document and before the appeal period could run its course,” he added. Saying these developments should be viewed in the proper context, Leachon stressed that at a time when the Dengvaxia cases are finally proceeding before the courts, “efforts are being made to question my credibility and integrity.” He said that no administrative sanction can alter the facts to be presented before the courts. “No disciplinary action can diminish the right of the victims’ families to seek justice or the duty of witnesses to testify truthfully,” he said. The truth must be established through evidence and due process — not through attacks on witnesses or attempts to discredit those who continue to speak out, he emphasized. “The Dengvaxia controversy remains one of the most painful chapters in Philippine public health. Those wounds cannot be healed through public relations campaigns, personal attacks, or efforts to discredit those who participate in the judicial process. They can only begin to heal when the truth is established, and justice is allowed to take its course,” Leachon said. “I have faced criticism, attacks, and attempts to discredit my work before. Those experiences have never deterred me from speaking out on issues that affect the health and welfare of the Filipino people. They will not deter me now,” he vowed. PCP said Leachon defamed fellow doctors and health care professionals, including violations of ethical protocols, through his public statements targeting his colleagues. ARLIE CALALO
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