Leachon decries alleged harassment, vows to testify on Dengvaxia

CALAPAN CITY, Oriental Mindoro – Health reform advocate Dr. Anthony “Tony” Leachon has denounced continuing attempts to silence him as a vital witness in pending criminal cases involving the state-sponsored Dengvaxia vaccinations now being heard by a Quezon City Regional Trial Court. 

In a statement on Wednesday, Leachon, a resident doctor at Manila Doctors Hospital, confirmed he would appear again for upcoming trial sessions.

The latest complaints against Leachon, filed on October 26 before the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC), challenged the medical and scientific basis of Leachon’s various public medical claims and the scope of his professional expertise. 

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READ: Leachon disputes reports naming ex-DOH exec as sole PCP complainant

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The complainants, including former Health Secretary and now House Deputy Speaker Rep. Janette Garin and other doctors, refer to Leachon’s public commentary on the 2017 Dengvaxia controversy, which they argue muddled the issue and contributed to vaccine hesitancy. 

Leachon said the doctors who filed complaints against him had previously brought similar concerns before the Philippine College of Physicians. 

According to Leachon, these actions form a pattern of harassment against him — both as a key witness in the QC RTC case and as an expert witness during the 2017 Senate investigations on the Dengvaxia scandal. 

He said the complainants are respondents in the Dengvaxia criminal cases, who were charged with homicide through reckless imprudence. Leachon claimed that efforts to discredit him risk undermining the judicial process because he is a key witness.

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The Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 102, presided over by Judge Michael Ken De Jesus, is set to rule on motions filed by Garin and her co‑respondents who sought to dismiss the pending cases.

READ: Garin, 4 others cleared in P3-B Dengvaxia deal

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The Supreme Court had assigned Judge De Jesus’ branch to handle all Dengvaxia‑related cases. 

“With humility, I affirm that my lifelong advocacy has always been anchored on one principle: the protection of patients and the pursuit of truth in public health,” Leachon said. 

He added that his public statements on the Dengvaxia issue were never intended to malign fellow medical practitioners, but to raise concerns about accountability and transparency affecting thousands of Filipino families.

“It is regrettable that efforts to speak for victims are now being met with harassment and attempts to silence me,” he said. 

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“No amount of pressure or disciplinary threats can erase the facts surrounding the Dengvaxia cases, nor diminish the right of victims’ families to seek justice,” Leachon said./coa