A PHARMALLY Pharmaceutical Corporation official slammed the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee on Friday, October 22, saying the lawmakers are using the probe into alleged irregularities in the use of Covid-19 pandemic funds by the Department of Health (DOH) for political gain.
Mohit Dargani, Pharmally’s corporate secretary and treasurer who was among the resource persons in the investigation, said lawmakers were treating them unjustly like criminals “whose lives aren’t worthy of living anymore.”
“Rather than impartially listening to us, they tried to get us to incriminate ourselves. They want us detained because we asserted our rights, they can’t get what they want to hear from us,” Dargani said in a statement.
“We are being falsely accused for political gain. Malapit na eleksyon and we are like hostages. Hindi na para sa bayan. But for their political survival,” he added.
Dargani also maintained that President Rodrigo Duterte has nothing to do with the firm’s transaction with the government.
Dargani made the statement after he and his sister, Twinkle, the company’s president, were cited in contempt and ordered detained at the Senate facility after they refused to provide various documents related to the firm’s transactions that were subpoenaed by the panel.
He said during the hearing that they were just invoking their right to privacy as advised by their legal counsel.
Senate Sergeant-at-Arms retired Major General Rene Samonte said the Darganis went into hiding after they failed to serve their arrest order in their listed addresses.
Pharmally has been in hot water over its alleged anomalous transactions with the Procurement Service (PS) of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), which was tapped by the DOH for the procurement of medical supplies necessary for protection during the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The firm was tagged as the biggest Covid-19 pandemic supplier of the country, bagging over P8 billion contract from the PS for the said purpose despite having only P625,000 start-up capital.
Lawmakers said the items delivered by Pharmally to the government were overpriced but still they were “favored” due to its links with former presidential adviser Michael Yang, who lent the firm money in order for it to fulfill its contract with PS.
Pharmally’s director Linconn Ong has been detained in the Senate premises since three weeks ago over his evasive answers during the panel’s hearing. (SunStar Philippines)