President Rodrigo Duterte defended anew the decision of the Philippine government to purchase personal protective equipment (PPE) sets from Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp. during the start of the 2019 Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic last year.
President Duterte insisted that the government made the purchase in accordance with Republic Act No. 11469, also known as the Bayanihan to Heal As One Act.
RA 11469 authorizes the President to procure certain items, which include PPEs,'in the most expeditious manner, as exemptions from the provisions of Republic Act No. 9184 or the Government Procurement Reform Act and other relevant laws'.
The Senate is currently conducting an investigation following allegations that the Philippine government procured overpriced PPE sets from Pharmally.
"Sa Bayanihan 1 kayo ang nagbigay ng authority ng executive department even to disregard the procurement law," President Duterte said during a televised national address aired on Tuesday, September 16.
"Sabi niyo you can take whatever measures for the fastest delivery of the things that we need. So iyon ang ginagawa namin tapos ngayon you are dwelling on the procurement law and asking the officials to explain of their actuations," he added.
The Chief Executive, meanwhile, showed no concern for Pharmally as senators grill the executives of the company during the hearings conducted by the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee.
"Sagasaan na ninyo ’yung sagasaan, ‘yung Pharmally puwede na ninyong watak-watakin ‘yan at you would do what you want kasi kami dito tapos na," President Duterte said.
"You can crumple ang Pharmally, wala kaming pakialam diyan. Basta ‘yang pag-avail namin, ang pakialam namin nag-order kami, dumating, tama ‘yung nag-order, tapos ang presyo negotiated," he added.
