President Rodrigo Roa Duterte has betrayed the public trust following his connection in the alleged anomalous deals with Pharmally Corp., according to the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee.
In its 113-page partial draft report released by the office of Sen. Richard Gordon, the committee pointed to Duterte's "threats, his non-action on this gargantuan scam and in a time of grave danger, his cover-up efforts, his tyrannical use of presidential powers to prevent officials and employees from participating in the hearings."
"At the very least, the president has betrayed [the] public trust," the draft report stated.
The committee said Duterte betrayed the public trust, in violation of his oath of
office under the 1987 Constitution by:
- appointing Michael Yang, a foreign national, as “Economic Adviser to the President” in 2018. Yang then introduced numerous Chinese suppliers with whom the government transacted and in the process enriched himself immensely;
- accepting that an undercapitalized corporation owned by a Taiwanese fugitive, and with proven ties to Michael Yang, had dominance over pandemic procurement of COVID-19 supplies;
- seeking to discredit COA, whose Constitutional duty it is to conduct an audit of all government expenditures, and which had previously flagged the anomalous transaction, and through threats, prevent it from functioning;
- trying to discredit the credibility of the Senate by publicly attacking, maligning, and disrespecting the Senate as an institution, a co-equal branch of government, and its members duly performing their duties, and in doing so attempting to render inutile the Senate’s role in investigating corruption;
- ordering the issuance of a patently illegal memorandum preventing his cabinet members and other officials of his administration from attending the hearings; and
- refusing to run after his appointees despite calls from the public and the Senate to compel their attendance, in order to further the search for truth,; failing to hold accountable these appointees for one of the biggest plunders of the Philippines' coffers in recent history.
The report also questioned, "why was the President so quick to defend those closest to him once their names were linked to the anomaly and then so eager to discredit the Senate investigation, prevent his appointees from cooperating, and absolve them of any liability?"
"Why the massive attack and offensive based on false and unfounded accusations against a co-equal branch of government that was merely doing its job to protect the country not only from the unseen enemy that is COVID- 19, but also from perfidious enemies from within who deprived, for the sake of a greedy few, the Filipino people of the protection and succor that they needed during the most trying time of their lives," the committee said.
"Unfortunately, based on the President’s own behavior, one cannot help but conclude that he was aware of, allowed, and condoned," they added.
In the same draft report, the committee recommended plunder, graft and other criminal and administrative charges against Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, former government officials, and Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corporation executives.
