All in the Pharmally

The only thing worse than the deadly health crisis we’re dealing with is pocketing taxpayers’ money that could have otherwise been used to help more Filipinos survive the pandemic.

I think about this after listening to the damning testimony of a Pharmally executive. She believed the company was “swindling the government,” when asked by Senator Richard Gordon during a Senate hearing to confirm a witness’ testimony.

A Pharmally warehouse staff testified before the Senate panel that the company had asked its workers to repack substandard face shields for the Department of Health.

The witness said they repacked face shields that were already “yellowing, wet, old, and even dirty.”

The company changed the stickers of “expired” medical-grade face shields from 2020 to 2021, the worker said.

If this is true, it is wrong on so many levels, especially because we are in the middle of a global health pandemic and every action or inaction affects people’s survival.

If this is true, it is cruel, audacious, inhumane and it is a terribly sad thing to do, especially to one’s fellow countrymen. It goes against the values instilled in us individually and as a people. What has happened to us, really?

Every administration has had its share of corruption scandals, but pocketing money that could have otherwise been spent to help Filipinos get through this health pandemic is jaw-dropping.

As revealed in the Senate, some of those tagged in the Pharmally deal have links to the Palace.

Against this backdrop, one can’t help but think that the trail of corruption goes all the way up to the echelons of power.

It will be difficult to prove where the trail ends, but for sure, such questionable transactions could only be possible in an environment or in a system that allows or worse, enables it to happen.

The Lucifer Effect

The Lucifer Effect by Philip Zimbardo comes to mind. The book refers to the “extreme transformative arc from good to evil that God’s favorite angel Lucifer underwent, and provides a context within which to examine lesser human transformations from good to evil,” as summarized by David Newman of the non-profit EthicalSystems.org.

The book, which I am currently reading, talks about the factors in an environment that shape individual conduct; of situational and systemic factors that influence normal individuals to commit evil acts. It says there aren’t just bad apples, but bad barrels as well, and in turn, bad barrel makers.

There have been many findings about Pharmally, starting from the basic fact that it was practically just a paper corporation before it bagged P8 billion worth of contracts from the government.

I learned this myself when I asked for its documents from the Securities and Exchange Commission.

But of all the findings unearthed by lawmakers on Pharmally, the deliberate repackaging of substandard face shields to make these appear of high quality has got to be the final nail in the coffin.

Our lawmakers must do an exhaustive investigation, and make sure that everyone involved in the Pharmally deal will be held accountable. This should certainly go far beyond publicity stunts for our lawmakers, especially those running again in next year’s elections.

Corporate regulators should also look into the violations of Pharmally as a company.

Authorities must indeed get to the bottom of this.

A shipping disaster

Over the weekend, I heard about another maritime incident.

A passenger vessel or RoRO, MV Lite Ferry 3, sank after encountering trouble while conducting a docking maneuver at Ormoc Port, Ormoc City, Leyte around 11 p.m. last Sept. 24.

According to reports, 15 of the 16 crew members were rescued. The 16th member was found dead, trapped under several cargoes carried by the distressed vessel.

Maritime safety

It is unfortunate that such maritime disasters continue to happen. But what is more unfortunate is that the vessel was an LCT barge that was authorized by the Maritime Industry Authority or Marina to be converted into a passenger vessel with multi-decks.

It should have been used only as a cargo vessel, an industry source said.

“If there are rolling cargoes with drivers and helpers etc, the ship should fall under the passenger vessel category and should comply with rules on passenger vessel and annual compliance. Those classified as cargo should strictly sail as a cargo vessel with only crew and cargoes. There shouldn’t be other passengers such as drivers or helpers. These drivers and helpers are passengers,” the source said.

Our maritime industry regulators should stop these unauthorized and improper shipping conversions.

We must not wait for yet another sea disaster to happen.

Iris Gonzales’ email address is [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @eyesgonzales. Column archives at eyesgonzales.com