CONTEMPT | Senate committee cites 5 Pharmally officials in contempt, promises to make public results of its inquiry

January 27, 2022 , 10:29 PM

By Clarist Zablan

(January 27, 2022) – The Senate’s anti-graft panel on Thursday cited in contempt a former budget official and five officials from a pharmaceutical firm after they skipped public hearings as lawmakers continued an inquiry into the government’s anomalous multi billion-peso medical supplies deal.

The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, headed by Richard Gordon, said the panel has ordered the arrest of Pharmally Biological Company executive Rose Nono Lin, as well as Pharmally officials Gerald Cruz, Jayson Uson, Sophia Custodio, and Dennis Manalastas.

They also issued an arrest order against Lloyd Christopher Lao, the former head of the budget department’s procurement agency.

Gordon said the company officials would be locked up for snubbing invitations to attend the public hearings, but clarified the detention was not a form of punishment.

“This is not a punishment. This is just asserting and requiring that people respect the processes of the Senate,” Gordon said during the hearing. “Otherwise, we will become a paper tiger and that is part and parcel of the co-equal branch of government.”

Aside from Lin, the officials cited in contempt were also executives of Pai Li Holdings, Business Beyond Limits OPC, and Philippine Full Win Group of Companies Inc.

The Blue Ribbon committee is also expecting to release their preliminary report on their investigations by the end of this month. Gordon said that investigations will still remain ongoing.

“Hindi ko po isasara ang imbestigasyon na ito, sapagkat andiyan pa rin po ang mga hinahanap namin. Lalaki pa ito at lalabas po ang katotohanan. Ilalabas ko na po ang report hanggang dito,” the senator said.

Pharmally, a company with links to Duterte’s former economic adviser Michael Yang, has been under heavy scrutiny by lawmakers after it was found to have clinched billions of pesos worth of contracts to supply medical equipment during the pandemic, despite only having a starting capital of less than one million pesos.

This came after the Commission on Audit flagged the P42 billion funds transfer from the health department to the procurement agency in 2020 over a lack of proper documentation.

President Rodrigo Duterte, who had promised to sack officials who show even a “whiff” of corruption, quickly defended his officials, blocking them from attending the panel’s hearings while lambasting the senators and the state auditors.

“Nakalimutan na ninyo proteksyunan ang taumbayan. Ang prinotektahan ninyo ay sila Michael Yang, ang mga nanggantso sa taumbayan, ang mga hindi nagbayad ng buwis,” Gordon told the president.

(MM | With reports from Camille Samonte, News5)

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