PHARMALLY Pharmaceutical Corporation Director Linconn Ong was arrested and detained Tuesday at the building of the Senate of the Philippines in Pasay City.
He was cited for contempt for allegedly dodging questions and failing to submit subpoenaed documents deemed supplemental to the investigation into the government’s procurement of COVID-19 medical supplies.
With allegedly evasive answers and attempt to delay the hearing by not providing the company’s financial records, the legislators have decided to take Ong into its custody through the assistance of the Office of the Sergeant-at-Arms (OSAA).
In the middle of the Blue Ribbon Committee’s hearing which is presided by Senator Richard Gordon, Ong had to be excused for he was about to head to the Senate building.
“Mr. Chairman, Mr. Linconn Ong is with the OSAA (Office of the Sergeant-At-Arms) already…He is already on the way here to the Senate,” Senate President Vicente Sotto III told Gordon.
“Mr. Chairman, nagpa-pack na po ako ng gamit. Ide-detain na po ako ng Senado. I have to go down in 10 minutes,” Ong reiterated.
During the investigation, senators observed Ong’s flip-flopping statements which forced the Senate to cite him in contempt and issued an arrest warrant on September 10.
The Pharmally executive, however, contracted COVID-19 following the issuance of the arrest warrant, which then prompted the legislators to just order a house arrest.
The Senate will closely monitor Ong, whose firm allegedly had a contract worth P8.6 billion with the Procurement Service-Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM) for the purchase of allegedly overpriced medical items such as personal protective equipment (PPEs), face masks, and RT-PCR test kits in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.