Gordon to testify in Duque graft trial

MANILA, Philippines — Former senator Richard Gordon is set to testify against former health secretary Francisco Duque III and former Procurement Service-Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM) head Lloyd Christopher Lao over the P41.46-billion Pharmally scandal.

State prosecutors informed the Sandiganbayan First Division yesterday that Gordon, who led the 2021 Senate Blue Ribbon committee probe into the scam, could take the stand as early as the court’s next hearing on Aug. 3.

Duque and Lao are facing graft charges for allegedly acting with “evident bad faith or gross inexcusable negligence” when the Department of Health (DOH) transferred P41.46 billion in COVID-19 funds to the PS-DBM between March and December 2020.

The ombudsman argued that the fund transfer was unnecessary as the DOH had the authority to directly procure medical supplies.

Roughly P11.5 billion of the transferred funds went to Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp.

Duque and Lao did not attend yesterday’s hearing, but they were represented by their legal counsels.

The anti-graft court, which began the trial in June, has scheduled hearings for Aug. 3, 17 and every alternating Monday.