Blue Ribbon puts arrest order vs Rose Nono Lin on hold for surgery
MANILA, Philippines — The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee agreed to suspend the arrest order against Rose Nono Lin, the congressional aspirant who holds stocks in a company linked to the controversial Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp., for ten days so she can undergo surgery.
"If Rose Nono Lin is indeed ill and needs to have surgery in a hospital, we are not heartless people to not allow such required procedure to be performed on her," Sen. Richard Gordon, who chairs the Blue Ribbon committee, said in a statement shared by his office on Monday.
However, the lawmaker stressed Lin is not exempted from appearing in further investigations on Pharmally nor "will her supposed illness exempt her from justice."
Last week, Lin's lawyers asked for a temporary restraining order and injunction to stop the Senate from enforcing an arrest order against her for ten days, saying she is in the hospital and needs surgery.
The Blue Ribbon Committee earlier ordered the arrest of Lin and four other individuals for skipping the hearings related to the multibillion-peso deal between Pharmally and the budget department.
Lin did not attend the committee's 18th hearing last month, with her lawyers saying that she contracted COVID-19 and is experiencing gastric illnesses.
Pharmally is at the center of congressional hearings into the government's pandemic spending. The House Committee on Good Governance and Public Accountability, which held parallel hearings into Pharmally's deals with the government, has recommended charges against Pharmally's officers and two people from the Procurement Service of the Department of Budget and Management, which inked contracts with the firm.
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