01/02/2022
BASA. Senate Blue Ribbon Committee gin rekomendar nga kasohan ang Presidente kag Health Secretary Francisco Duque.
The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee has recommended filing criminal charges against President Rodrigo Duterte and Health Secretary Francisco Duque III over the government’s pandemic supply deals with Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp.
A preliminary report issued by the panel on Tuesday said that Duterte “betrayed public trust in violation of his oath,” and charges “must be considered” against him once his term ends in June 2022.
“After all, he was the one who appointed all the people who approved these transactions and aggressively protected and defended them when they were caught in this horrible crime against our people,” the report signed by Blue Ribbon Committee Chairman Senator Richard Gordon read.
The Senate committee that looked into allegedly overpriced pandemic supplies purchased by the government also suggested filing complaints against Duque for violation of RA 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
The hearings with the Upper Chamber uncovered that Pharmally secured P10 billion in pandemic deals between 2020 and 2021 despite being a newly created firm that lacked the funds to handle such government procurement.
In its partial report, the Blue Ribbon Committee said “public funds [were] plundered as the Filipino people struggled” during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Instead of ensuring that crucial supplies were made available, the public servants who were supposed to be responsible for the people’s welfare lined their pockets, acquiring grossly overpriced equipment for stockpiling, favoring an unqualified, undercapitalized company,” the report read
“[Pharmally were] exceedingly assisted by the foreign citizen Presidential Adviser on the economy who turned out to be so influential in the critical acquisition of supplies favoring his supplier-friends abroad,” it added.
The panel also recommended filing raps before the Department of Justice against former presidential economic adviser Michael Yang, resigned Budget Undersecretary Lloyd Christopher Lao, Atty. Warren Rex Liong and executives of Pharmally: Mohit Dargani, Twinkle Dargani, Krizle Grace Mago, Huang Tzu Yen, Dickson Panti, Lin Weixiong, and Rose Nono Lin.
Lin, Yang, and Qing Jin Ke should be deported for being “undesirable aliens,” the committee added. | Sean Rafio