MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang deferred comment on the Senate Blue Ribbon committee's recommendations on the government's allegedly overpriced pandemic supply deals but insisted that the Chief Executive is not protecting anyone involved in the transactions.
A partial report by the committee, which probed the government's purchase of medical supplies from Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp., recommended the filing of charges against Duterte after his term for defending officials whom it claimed were involved in a "horrible crime" against the people. According to the report, the president "betrayed the public trust" and must be accountable for supposedly condoning the "misdeeds" of his closest associates and appointees.
It also recommended the filing of plunder cases against Health Secretary Francisco Duque III; former budget department procurement service head Lloyd Christopher Lao; former procurement service director and now Deputy Ombudsman Warren Rex Liong; Duterte's former economic adviser Michael Yang, who reportedly served as Pharmally's financier and guarantor; Pharmally chairman Huang Tzu Yen; Pharmally finance officer Lin Weixiong; and Pharmally executives Linconn Ong, Mohit Dargani, Twinkle Dargani, and Krizle Grace Mago. Duque, Lao, Yang, Liong, Ong, Huang, Lin, Mago, and the Darganis should be prosecuted for violating the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, the report added.
The Senate panel led by Sen. Richard Gordon launched the investigation after state auditors reported that about P42 billion was transferred from the health department to the budget department's procurement service without supporting documents.
Asked to react to the recommendations, acting presidential spokesman Karlo Nograles said the committee and the Senate have not yet adopted the report.
"Right now, (it's) something that we cannot really comment on because it is not yet official and it’s just a partial report so it's also hard to talk about it because we do not have an official copy yet," Nograles told ABS-CBN News.
But Nograles echoed Duterte's previous statement that charges should be filed against those who should be held accountable.
"President Duterte repeatedly said during his Talk to the People program...file charges against those who should face charges. He is not protecting anyone here," the Palace official said in Filipino.
"He repeatedly said, "File cases if you want to file cases. Crush them if you want to but do not drag our pandemic response and the work of the government against COVID into this," he added.
Nograles said Duterte had ordered Cabinet members to skip the Senate probe on the pandemic supply deals because the hearings were affecting the performance of their duties.
"At one point, he noticed that the questions were repetitive, sometimes they (cabinet members) were asked to attend but they were not asked questions. Public service suffered and that was at that point when he felt that he had shown due respect to the Senate, at that point he said, 'Let's work, let’s focus now on the pandemic response,'" Nograles said.
"It's now a question of law and it is pending in the Supreme Court so let us wait for the report to be adopted by the committee. Right now, all we’re hearing are things that are being reported in the media," he added, referring to the Senate's decision to question the legality of Duterte's order before the high court.
The committee's partial report also recommended the filing of estafa charges against Mago and Mohit and the prosecution of Lao and Liong over alleged frauds against the public treasury.
It also called for the filing of perjury charges against Yang, Ong, Mago, Mohit and Lin's wife Rose Nono Lin; and falsification of public documents charges against Liong and procurement service officials Jorge Mendoza and Mervin Ian Tanquintic based on their own admission that they signed the pro-forma inspection certificate and acceptance report while the goods were still in China.
The report also found Lao, Liong, Huang, Ong, Mago, Lin and the Darganis liable for allegedly violating the Government Procurement Act. It also recommended the filing of charges against Lao, Liong, Ong, Mago, Lin and the Darganis for allegedly violating the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act
Malacañang deferred comment on the Senate Blue Ribbon committee's recommendations on the government's allegedly overpriced pandemic supply deals but insisted that the Chief Executive is not protecting anyone involved in the transactions.
A partial report by the committee, which probed the government's purchase of medical supplies from Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp., recommended the filing of charges against Duterte after his term for defending officials whom it claimed were involved in a "horrible crime" against the people. According to the report, the President "betrayed the public trust" and must be accountable for supposedly condoning the "misdeeds" of his closest associates and appointees.
It also recommended the filing of plunder cases against Health Sec. Francisco Duque III; former budget department procurement service head Lloyd Christopher Lao; former procurement service director and now Deputy Ombudsman Warren Rex Liong; Duterte's former economic adviser Michael Yang, who reportedly served as Pharmally's financier and guarantor; Pharmally chairman Huang Tzu Yen; Pharmally finance officer Lin Weixiong; and Pharmally executives Linconn Ong, Mohit Dargani, Twinkle Dargani, and Krizle Grace Mago. Duque, Lao, Yang, Liong, Ong, Huang, Lin, Mago, and the Darganis should be prosecuted for violating the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, the report added.
The Senate panel led by Sen. Richard Gordon launched the investigation after state auditors reported that about P42-billion was transferred from the health department to the budget department's procurement service without supporting documents.
Asked to react to the recommendations, acting presidential spokesman Karlo Nograles said the committee and the Senate have not yet adopted the report.
"Right now, (it's) something that we cannot really comment on because it is not yet official and it’s just a partial report so it's also hard to talk about it because we do not have an official copy yet," Nograles told ABS-CBN News.
But Nograles echoed Duterte's previous statement that charges should be filed against those who should be held accountable.
"President Duterte repeatedly said during his Talk to the People program...file charges against those who should face charges. He is not protecting anyone here," the Palace official said in Filipino.
"He repeatedly said, "File cases if you want to file cases. Crush them if you want to but do not drag our pandemic response and the work of the government against COVID into this," he added.
Nograles said Duterte had ordered cabinet members to skip the Senate probe on the pandemic supply deals because the hearings were affecting the performance of their duties.
"At one point, he noticed that the questions were repetitive, sometimes they (cabinet members) were asked to attend but they were not asked questions. Public service suffered and that was at that point when he felt that he had shown due respect to the Senate, at that point he said, 'Let's work, let’s focus now on the pandemic response,'" Nograles said.
"It's now a question of law and it is pending in the Supreme Court so let us wait for the report to be adopted by the committee. Right now, all we’re hearing are things that are being reported in the media," he added, referring to the Senate's decision to question the legality of Duterte's order before the high court.
The committee's partial report also recommended the filing of estafa charges against Mago and Mohit and the prosecution of Lao and Liong over alleged frauds against the public treasury.
It also called for the filing of perjury charges against Yang, Ong, Mago, Mohit and Lin's wife Rose Nono Lin; and falsification of public documents charges against Liong and procurement service officials Jorge Mendoza and Mervin Ian Tanquintic based on their own admission that they signed the pro-forma inspection certificate and acceptance report while the goods were still in China.
The report also found Lao, Liong, Huang, Ong, Mago, Lin and the Darganis liable for allegedly violating the Government Procurement Act. It also recommended the filing of charges against Lao, Liong, Ong, Mago, Lin and the Darganis for allegedly violating the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act