SEN. Panfilo Lacson yesterday said detained Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corporation director Linconn Ong has divulged “vital information” related to the role of Michael Yang, a Chinese businessman and President Duterte’s former economic, in financing the company which bagged some P8 billion worth of contracts from government last year when it had a paid-up capital of only P625,000.
He did not give details.
Lacson said the disclosure happened before Ong announced on Monday that he has declined an executive session with the senators for a tell-all on the controversial deal for the supply of medical items awarded to Pharmally by the Procurement Service of Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM).
He said Ong revealed the information to him and Senate President Vicente Sotto III.
“He indicated that he wanted to say something in an executive session. He divulged very vital information which I am not ready to share with you,” Lacson said on ABS-CBN News Channel, adding that he and Sotto agreed that the information would be among the three of them for the meantime.
Pressed as to what kind of information Ong disclosed, Lacson said ”it’s about Michael Yang,” and that it was related to Yang’s supposedly financing Pharmally in its contracts with the PS-DBM.
Ong, in a recent hearing of the Blue Ribbon committee, told the Senate Yang loaned the company the money it needed to deliver the pandemic supplies to the government. But he refused to reveal to the Senate how much money Yang lent the company.
On Monday, Ong’s lawyer Ferdinand Topacio informed the committee chaired by Sen. Richard Gordon that Ong will no longer cooperate in the inquiry, much less talk with the senators in executive session.
Lacson said Ong’s decision would not help his case, a point also made by Gordon Monday.
“I think the atmosphere has changed, the environment has changed, he hired a lawyer, who’s very arrogant, calling the senators names and calling the”‚ Senate names and I don’t think it will help his case,” Lacson said.
Topacio has called the hearing a “kangaroo forum.”
Lacson said Ong’s testimony before the committee is enough to implicate Yang.
“Even without the corroborative statement of Linconn Ong, I think we have sufficient ground to conclude or even suspect that Michael Yang really has something to do with providing medical supplies, procurement by PS-DBM,”” he said.
But he said there is no evidence yet linking President Duterte and Sen. Christopher “Bong” Go to the controversy. He said even Duterte’s friendship with Yang will not suffice to implicate the President in the controversy.
“We can always speculate based on circumstances, based on pronouncements or statements made, but still at the end of the day, ang pinag-uusapan natin dito ay ano ang ebidensya and so far, talagang wala kaming hawak na ebidensya to link the President to Pharmally or even to Michael Yang, except na mayroong admission that they have been long friends even before he was a mayor,” he added.
Lacson also said Ong will remain under Senate custody for as long as he refuses to cooperate with the inquiry on the Pharmally issue.
“If he continue to be evasive, I would say he will be staying for some time in the Senate premises.
The House committee on good government and public accountability wrote Gordon asking him to allow Ong to participate in the panel’s own inquiry on October 4.
The panel chaired by Rep. Michael Aglipay (PL, Diwa) also subpoenaed Krizle Grace Mago,
Pharmally incorporator, who is now being tracked by the NBI upon Gordon’s request.
Lacson dismissed President Duterte’s criticism of Ong’s detention.
Duterte in his public address Monday night likened to “martial law” the Senate probe on the Pharmally issue and Ong’s detention. He said Duterte as a lawyer and former congressman should know that Ong’s detention is within the powers of the Senate.
Duterte, in his two-part weekly address, said the plastic face shields are expected to last for a long time, even for 10 to 15 years, if it is used and stored properly.
He again chided Gordon,claiming the senator was only trying to find issues that it could throw against his administration.
The President said the investigation is supposed to ferret out the truth but some lawmakers tend to debate with and accuse the resource persons of lying because they already have a preconceived answer.
“Akala ko ba ayaw ng mga taong Pilipinas ng martial law? Eh tingnan mo ‘yung ginagawa ng Senado ngayon, it is just more than a martial law. (I thought the people do not want martial law in the Philippines? But look at the Senate, it is just more than a martial law),” he said.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, in his report to the President, said some parts of the face shield such as the foam and garter, are the first one to deteriorate with constant use.
He said the shelf life of these parts is about 36 months.
Duque reiterated that the items purchased have been inspected properly but he had still directed the Department of Health’s procurement and supply office to check if they have on hand some face shields that were produced in 2021.
He said the government must receive restitution if proven that the face shields it acquired have indeed been tampered with.
A supposed letter from Mago said she not missing nor has gone into hiding after Gordon said she could not be “reached” by the Blue Ribbon. The supposed message came a day after Gordon said his panel has asked the NBI for help in locating Mago.
The Blue Ribbon said it did not receive the supposed letter from Mago.
Mago, in a hearing last Friday, said her company delivered to government face shields with expired production dates.
The letter, sent via email to Senate beat reporters, also said Mago would cooperate with the Senate probe but she felt “pressured” with what had happened and did not know what to do. The letter also said Mago was never threatened by anyone from Pharmally even after she made the damaging testimony. — With Jocelyn Montemayor and Wendell Vigilia
