Document can prove Yang ‘profited’ from Pharmally

Presidential adviser Michael Yang likely profited from Pharmally Pharmaceutical’s multibillion-peso government deals and was not a mere guarantor. Senator Richard Gordon deduced this from a document that shows Yang’s nominee Lin Weixiong to have access to Pharmally’s bank deposits.

The document, a corporate secretary’s certificate to Pharmally’s bank, authorizes Lin to withdraw from and monitor the firm’s account.

“This allowed Lin to take out money for the person who placed him in Pharmally – Michael Yang,” Gordon told The STAR, showing a copy of the paper.

The certificate identifies Lin, a Taiwanese, as Pharmally’s “financial manager.” That further belies the testimony of Lin’s Filipino wife, Rose Nono Lin, disavowing any association with the company. On the other hand, it brings Gordon’s Blue Ribbon committee closer to proving Yang’s direct monetary interest.

Only six months old and undercapitalized at P625,000, Pharmally began selling pandemic supplies to the government in March 2020. Its first deal with Procurement Service-Dept. of Budget and Management was for P54 million in face masks. Thereafter it sold PS-DBM up to P12 billion in face shields, COVID-19 test kits, thermometers, goggles and personal protective equipment. Filipino manufacturers were eased out of the “emergency procurements”.

The BRC faulted then PS-DBM chief Lloyd Christopher Lao and deputy Warren Rex Liong for alleged overpriced deals. President Rodrigo Duterte has admitted appointing his college fraternity-mates and Davao City lawyers to the agency. After a few appearances at the BRC hearings, Lao went into hiding. Liong is now Overall Deputy Ombudsman.

Yang, a Chinese national residing in Davao, was also Duterte’s special economic adviser in 2016-2019. As such, Yang introduced to the President Taiwanese fugitive Huang Tzu Yen and Lin as potential investors through Pharmally Biological Corp.

Lin’s wife Rose, a candidate for congresswoman in Quezon City, claimed at the BRC hearing that they and Yang were involved only in Pharmally Biological, never in Pharmally Pharmaceutical. But Gordon confronted her with a document from the Bureau of Internal Revenue stating that Lin was financial manager of Pharmally Pharmaceutical. Huang, Pharmally Pharmaceutical chairman, and Mojit Dargani, corporate secretary-board treasurer-executive director, affirmed the BIR record. Rose claimed that Lin, who snubbed all the hearings, is on prolonged business travel in Dubai.

Signed by Lin and Dargani, Gordon’s newest document is addressed to Pharmally’s bank. It empowers them to:

• “deposit any of its funds... and said bank is hereby authorized to pay, encash and honor any and all checks, bills of exchange, orders or other instruments for the payment of money or withdrawal of funds;”

• “apply, negotiate for and obtain credit facilities” and

• “access the account through electronic banking.”

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“Colorum” (un-franchised) vehicles have taken over bus routes to and from north-central Luzon and Metro Manila. Those private vans and cars load beyond safe, comfy limits. Passengers are charged three times the regulated bus fares, yet have no receipt, accident insurance or alternative rides in case of breakdown. Pandemic health protocols are unenforced.

The illegal “public transport” thrives from poor government planning. Provincial bus lines have been barred from using their private terminals in the national capital since February 2021. Officials make them start and end at a common terminal in Bocaue, Bulacan. Instead of from the usual Cubao, Quezon City, passengers must first ride a city bus 30 kilometers, alight at the expressway and hail a tricycle to the common terminal. Same when they return to the big city. Inconvenient even if they have no luggage, merchandise or tots to take care of.

Provincial bus operators are groaning. They had zero income from the yearlong pandemic lockdown of Luzon. When trips resumed in 2021, they were restricted to only 10-30 percent passenger capacity for safe distancing. Yet they were required to continue renewing and paying for their franchises and taxes. Drivers, conductors, mechanics had to be retained and paid. Buses had to be maintained. Government couldn’t stamp out the colorums yet bus firms were fined up to P1 million and suspended for any breach of franchise and common terminal use. Drivers must be in top shape, yet have no sleeping quarters there. Terminal parking fees add to the overhead.

The operators had won a court injunction against an earlier transport department closure of their private garages in July 2019. But the generals and lawyers handling pandemic response use the health emergency as reason to supersede the judicial ruling. Buses must have “special permits” to operate, or else be pulled over.

Officials justify the common terminal with their supposed strictness with masking, hand washing, safe distancing and vaxxing rules. They also fault operators for the overcrowding and 200-meter long queues to the private city terminals last Christmas-New Year. Yet that was the officials’ own doing; they had announced special reuse of the private garages only two days before the holidays, leaving the operators little time to mobilize their staff and fleets, and prepare the health necessities for the mad rush of riders.

How long do transport and economic officials intend to impose the unworkable plan? They must ensure safe, reliable, convenient rides. As well, regulate fares, standards, routes, frequencies, work conditions and public health. Soon aboveground operators will close down from unfair competition with underground colorums. Government will lose another source of revenues.

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