THE Senate Blue Ribbon Committee recommended that President Rodrigo Duterte, Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Francisco Duque III, former Budget Undersecretary Lloyd Christopher Lao and officials of Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corporation be held responsible for alleged corruption in the purchase of pandemic supplies.
The office of Senator Richard Gordon, chairman of the Blue Ribbon panel, released the panel’s draft partial report regarding its investigation of alleged corruption in the government’s purchase of pandemic supplies from Pharmally.
In the 113-page partial report, it said that President Duterte be held responsible due to betrayal of public trust, which is a violation of his mandate under the Philippine Constitution.
This is due to his appointment of a Chinese national, Michael Yang, as economic adviser back in 2018; for accepting Pharmally as a supplier of COVID-19 supplies despite being an undercapitalized company and owned by a fugitive from Taiwan; for discrediting the Commission on Audit and the Senate; for not allowing officials from the Executive branch to attend Senate hearings, and for failure in running after those responsible in the anomalous procurement of pandemic supplies.
Based on Duterte’s behavior, the report said one cannot help but conclude that the President has knowledge of, allowed and condoned the deeds of his close associates and appointees.
Meanwhile, the draft report recommended the filing of plunder charges against Duque, Atty. Lloyd Christopher Lao, the former chief of the Procurement Service-Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM), current Deputy Ombudsman Warren Rex Liong, a former colleague of Lao at the PS-DBM, Michael Yang, allegedly the financier of Pharmally, other officials of Pharmally such as Linconn Ong, Mohit Dargani, Twinkle Dargani, Huwang Tzu Yen, Krizle Grace Mago, and Lin Weixiong, who is still at large and is reportedly in Dubai.
The report also recommended the filing of charges against Lao, Liong and Pharmally officials for violation of the Government Procurement Act.
Charges of falsification of public documents are also recommended to be filed against Jorge Mendoza and Mervin Tanquintic, both PS-DBM officials who admitted signing an inspection report for the purchase of Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) even if they have not yet seen the PPEs and remain undelivered.
The report also recommended the deportation of Yang, Lin Weixiong, and Qing Jin Ke, marketing director of Tigerphil, who reportedly supplied face masks to Pharmally.
Also recommended to be charged with perjury for lying to the Senate are Yang, Pharmally officials and Rose Nono Lin, who is the wife of Lin Weixiong.
To make the Blue Ribbon report official, it needs the signature of 11 from the 20 senators, the chairman, members and ex-officio members of the committee.
The signing of the report can mean agreeing to the contents of the report, and can also mean agreeing that the report be submitted during the Senate plenary.