The chairman of the House Committee on Public Accounts expressed support for the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee’s report on the Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp. investigation.
Probinsyano Ako Party-list Representative Jose Singson Jr. said his panel would have submitted recommendations that are nearly identical to those presented by the Senate Blue Ribbon panel in its probe on the alleged irregularities in the procurement of COVID-19 supplies at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2022.
The Senate report recommended the filing of charges against several Pharmally executives, former presidential economic adviser Michael Yang, and former procurement head Christopher Lloyd Lao.
Singson said the public accounts panel was able to hold three hearings before it decided to suspend the proceedings.
“Our initiative to investigate the questionable DOH-PS-DBM procurement came into fruition with the release of the findings of the Blue Ribbon Committee.”
“Based on what we were able to gather during the three hearings we held, I believe we would have presented similar findings as what the Gordon panel released. Our initiative to investigate the questionable DOH-PS-DBM (Department of Health-Procurement Service of the Department of Budget and Management) procurement came into fruition with the release of the findings of the Blue Ribbon Committee,” the legislator said.
The House Committee on Good Government chaired by DIWA Partylist Rep. Michael Aglipay also decided to conduct a parallel probe.
The House panel recommended the filing of syndicated estafa charges against several officials of Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp. in connection with the government’s purchase of COVID-19 supplies.
These criminal charges against Pharmally chairman Huang Tzu Yen, treasurer Mohit Dargani, president Twinkle Dargani, Pharmally director Lincoln Ong, and Pharmally executives Justine Garado and Krizle Grace Mago shall be filed before the Department of Justice.
“These acts of Pharmally officials are grossly aggravated by the fact that these were committed during the height of the pandemic. By taking advantage of the more lenient procurement regulations under Bayanihan Act One, this matter, Pharmally gravely abused the system to the insufferable prejudice of the government,” Aglipay said.
“Pharmally gravely abused the system to the insufferable prejudice of the government.”
The panel, meanwhile, did not recommend any charges against Yang and Lao due to a lack of evidence.
“The evidence does not warrant or is not enough for cases to hold,” the legislator said.
The PS-DBM awarded Pharmally Pharmaceuticals Corporation contracts worth P8.68 billion for the purchase of personal protective equipment (PPE) and testing kits, which were believed to be overpriced, at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
Pharmally was registered in September 2019 with the Securities and Exchange Commission with a paid capital of P625,000.
