MANILA, Philippines – Nakaranas umano ng mga banta sa kanyang buhay, career at professional license si Dr. Anthony “Tony” Leachon at itinuturo ang ilang politiko bilang ‘primary suspects’ sa kung anuman ang mangyayari sa kanya.
“I am facing the greatest battle of my life—defending the Filipino people. There are threats to my life, my career, and even my PRC license. These threats have been relayed to me through persons, and I take them seriously,” saad sa pahayag ni Leachon.
“If anything happens to me, let it be clear: politicians are the primary suspects,” dagdag pa niya.
Ang pahayag ni Leachon ay kasunod ng pagsuspinde ng Philippine College of Physicians (PCP) sa kanya sa loob ng anim na buwan dahil sa defamation sa mga kasamahang doktor at health professionals, at paglabag sa ethical standards.
“Respondent engaged in defamatory allegations and insinuations or claims of corruption and unethical practice against colleagues, in a public and official forum, even without any personal knowledge or sufficient evidence to support the aforesaid allegations,” saad sa 26 pahinang desisyon ng PCP.
Ang grounds ng ethics complaint laban kay Leachon ay ang misrepresentation bilang expert witness at pagpapakalat ng maling impormasyon sa konteksto ng kanyang pananaw laban sa anti-dengue vaccine na Dengvaxia.
Bagamat sinabi ng PCP regents na hindi nito nagawa ang naturang mga violation, nakitaan naman ito ng pananagutan sa defamation at paglabag sa ethical standards.
“At 65, I can say I have lived a good life. But I will not stop. The Philippine College of Physicians has been used to silence me, and complicity is a crime,” tugon ni Leachon patungkol dito.
Samantala, nagpahayag naman ng suporta si Deputy Speaker Janette Garin sa desisyon at tapang ng PCP “to uphold its mandate without fear or favor.”
“There is profound arrogance in Dr. Anthony Leachon’s reckless assumption that a well-established, respectable institution like the Philippine College of Physicians would stretch its organization’s ethical rules and compromise its core standards just to target a single individual,” sinabi ni Garin, na kalihim ng kalusugan nang ipakilala ang dengue vaccine sa bansa.
“The administrative case against Dr. Leachon was filed as early as February 2025, predating the recent controversies he is currently weaponizing to deflect accountability,” dagdag pa niya.
Ani Garin, si Leachon ay pinayagan na ipresenta ang kanyang panig at depensahan ang kanyang karapatan patungkol sa naturang usapin.
Ngunit sinabi rin ng mambabatas na ang hakbang ni Leachon para pagmukhain ang professional disciplinary case bilang conspiracy laban sa kanya “is not only a textbook attempt to gaslight the medical community, but is also an insult to his own peers in the profession.”
“I therefore urge Dr. Leachon to cease converting this matter into a public relations spectacle and instead address the actual merits of his case before the proper venue,” ani Garin. RNT/JGC
