By: Mary Adelene Antolin
Last year local firm Pharmally Pharmaceutical bagged P10 billion worth of government contacts for medical supplies when COVID-19 was first detected in the country.
The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee questioned the Department of Budget and Management’s Procurement Service (DBM-PS) grant of contracts worth P8 billion to Pharmally Pharmaceutical corporation, despite the lack of tract record.
In a report from the Commission on Audit (COA) showed that between April to May Pharmally was tapped by the DBM-PS to supply a total of 12.9 million face masks at a unit price ranging from P22 to P27.7
Committee chairman Senator Richard Gordon noted that Pharmally was also contacted for the provision of 3 million KN95 masks worth P100 each; and in May, 10,000 surgical gowns at a unit price of P288; as well as 2 Million personal protective equipment (PPEs) costing P1,910 each.
Yang in Contempt
Blue Ribbon Committee has moved for the issuance of an arrest warrant against President Rodrigo Duterte’s former economic adviser, Michael Yang, for refusing to attend its probe on the Department of Health’s (DOH) disbursement of COVID-19 response funds.
Two subpoenas were issued in an attempt to compel Yang to attend the hearing to no avail.
By Tuesday, September 7, Gordon approved a motion from his colleagues to cite Yang in contempt.
Yang is linked to the procurement of overpriced PPEs, face mask,s and face shields by the DOH thru the DBM-PS by the senators.
Update:
Facing possible arrest, Yang’s camp says to attend Senate hearing on ‘overpriced’ DOH purchases.
Lawyer Raymond Fortun wrote to Senate Blue Ribbon Committee chairman and Sen. Richard Gordon to promise the presence and cooperation of Yang in the panel’s legislative investigation
These unfold after Senate President Vicente Sotto III signed on Tuesday afternoon the arrest warrant sought by Gordon’s committee against Yang.
Pharmally Execs face Probe
Pharmally executives Mohit Dargani, Twinkle Dargani, Linconn Ong, Krizle Grace Mago, and Justine Garado failed to show up to the hearing. The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee moved for the arrest of the said exec only to found out that one of them has left the Philippines for Dubai last August 18.
In the same hearing Pharmally Pharmaceutical chairman and president, Huang Tzu Yen, attended virtually from his residence in Singapore where Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon proposed to the panel to ask the foreign national to reaffirm his oath and testimonies in the hearing before the Philippine embassy in Singapore.
UPDATE
On September 25, Saturday, Senator Richard Gordon said the admission of Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corporation regulatory affairs head Krizle Mago has already “damaged” the company’s denial of irregularities in their dealing with the Philippine government amid the pandemic.
Mago confessed to changing the production dates of the face shields that Pharmally has supplied to the DOH, on Friday, September 24.
It was revealed by a senate witness who supposedly worked in their warehouse that Pharmally would instruct workers to repack old stock of face shields, including damaged and substandard pieces for the use of health care workers
Gordon asked Mago if the firm was “swindling the government”, she replied: “I believe so.”
Meanwhile, it hasn’t been revealed if Ong has been transferred to Pasay City Jail due to security concerns but reports said that Ong is still in the Senate’s custody as of Saturday.
Ong was cited for contempt for evading questions about their company’s financial capacity.
