ANTI-CORRUPTION group Citizens Crime Watch on Wednesday, September 29, 2021, alleged that Senator Risa Hontiveros and her staff bribed a witness into lying about the quality of the face shields supplied to the Department of Health (DOH) by Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corporation.
Citizens Crime Watch (CCW) national president Diego Magpantay said they were considering the filing of charges against Hontiveros and her staff.
Magpantay and Ferdinand Topacio, legal counsel of detained Pharmally director Linconn Ong, presented in a press conference Wednesday a video footage of a Pharmally warehouse personnel who said that Hontiveros, through her lawyer Jaye Bekema, offered money to a fellow worker in exchange for testifying before the Senate blue ribbon committee.
He said the money was personally handed to Hontiveros’ witness by her driver Ryan Tazo.
“Doon po mismo ako nagtatrabaho (Pharmally) kaya alam ko po ang ginagawa namin ay tama. Wala pong nangyayaring anomalya. Sana inisip mo lahat nung sinabi mo na paninira pinagpalit mo ‘yung pakikisama namin lahat sa 'yo, siniraan mo si Miss Mago, sinira mo ng tiwala sa 'yo ng Pharmally para sa halagang magkano, sinira mo lahat. Sana magsabi ka ng totoo,” the Pharmally worker, whose identity was not revealed, said.
“Kaya po namin patunayan doon sa loob ng production na wala pong ganoon. Doon po sa sinasabi niya na mga reject na nakarating sa mga frontliner, hindi po 'yon totoo,” he added.
Topacio, who is also the chief legal counsel of the CCW, said the video was forwarded to him by Pharmally. He then sought the assistance of the CCW.
Hontiveros, in a statement, belied the allegations, and said she was ready to answer the charges and prove that they don't need to pay for the truth.
She said she had an email thread to prove that it was the witness who reached out to her office.
"Like always, may resibo ako. We vetted the information of the witness for weeks and obtained independent corroboration of his points," Hontiveros said.
She also pointed out that Pharmally administrative assistant Krizle Mago had admitted "in an unrehearsed testimony" before the Senate that they tampered with the product certificates of the face shields.
Hontiveros also pointed out that her office does not have a track record of witness tampering or witness bribery.
"Atty. Topacio, hindi mo maiisahan ang taumbayan. Not today. Tulad ng mga face shields na ipinasok ng Pharmally, luma, nangingitim at expired na ang script mo," Hontiveros said, as she recalled that Topacio in 2017 tried to take into his custody the minor who witnessed the killing of Kian de los Santos.
The Pharmally personnel in the video, whose identity was hidden for security purposes, belied the claims of the witness presented by Hontiveros during the panel’s hearing on Friday, September 24, who said that the face shields delivered to DOH by Pharmally were substandard and expired.
The statement of Hontiveros’s witness was confirmed by Mago.
Topacio said the witness executed an affidavit that was authenticated before a notary public. He said the witness showed evidence of how he was able to obtain such information.
He said they will develop a case on the matter and bring it before an appropriate investigative agency for the filing of charges.
The Senate blue ribbon committee is looking into governmentsupply contracts amounting to over P12 million which were awarded to Pharmally at the onset of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic in 2020. (Third Anne Peralta-Malonzo / SunStar Philippines)