Pimentel backs plan to reopen Pharmally probe

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III supports a plan of Sen. Risa Hontiveros to revive the investigation on the government procurement of COVID-19 supplies from Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp.

Pimentel said the reinvestigation of the deal between the government and Pharmally could be handled by the Senate Blue Ribbon committee, which held 18 hearings in the 18th Congress then headed by Sen. Richard Gordon.

“Sen. Risa has a plan to revive the Pharmally issue in the Senate in the 19th Congress and I think it can be done but that would be referred to the same committee, Senate Blue Ribbon, which will now be headed by a new senator,” Pimentel said in an interview with CNN Philippines. “So the action of the chairman, we do not know, we cannot predict but the attempt to revive it by refiling a resolution covering the same subject matter is possible.”

Gordon investigated the transfer of the P42- billion COVID funds from the Department of Health to the Department of Budget and Management, particularly the DBM’s Procurement Service for the purchase of P8.6 billion worth of face masks, face shields, and personal protective equipment from Pharmally.

In February, Gordon released a partial report claiming President Duterte betrayed the public trust in connection with his actions, including giving instructions to officials in the executive department not to attend the Senate hearings.

Gordon’s committee recommended the filing of criminal charges against Pharmally officials Linconn Ong and Mohit Dargani, and several government officials and individuals in connection with the allegedly anomalous procurement deal.

Both Ong and Dargani, who were detained for several months, were released on June 2 upon adjournment of Congress.

Some members of the Senate committee refused to sign the report as they disagreed with the inclusion of Duterte into the controversy.

Pimentel is optimistic that he can convince three more senators to join the minority in the 19th Congress.

He said the minority in the Senate would be easy to organize considering the number of its members.

“Being optimistic as a member of the minority and let’s say I want to be optimistic that the minority can still consist of the following so we have Sen. Risa Hontiveros myself, then probably the two Cayetanos,” he said, referring to Senators Pia and Alan Peter Cayetano.

Pimentel said returning Sen. Francis Escudero, who was named as a candidate for the Senate presidency, might join the minority.

Reports said the supermajority in the Senate would support Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri to head the chamber in the 19th Congress.

“And really being super optimistic, we might even get Sen. Chiz Escudero. So five out of 24 (senators), that’s the maximum I think that we can get,” Pimentel said.

If the Cayetanos and Escudero join the minority, Pimentel said it would be formidable as four of the six lawyer-senators would be part of the minority.

“That’s why I needed to qualify my statement. I’m being very optimistic. If you get all of them, there are six lawyers (in the Senate of 19th Congress), if four belongs to the minority that’s formidable,” he clarified.

Pimentel admitted that they could not really determine the composition of the Senate minority as of now as it is the last group to be organized.

“You can only know the membership or composition of the minority group after the Senate president has been elected. Technically we will consider as minority all those who did not vote for the Senate president or those who did not participate in the voting for the Senate president.”