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Pharmally exec Linconn Ong arrested while attending virtual Senate hearing

Philippines | National

Pharmally exec Linconn Ong arrested while attending virtual Senate hearing

By Mario Casayuran

The Senate on Tuesday September 21 detained Linconn Ong, director of the controversial Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corporation that bag contracts worth billions of pesos worth of COVID 19-related medical supplies.

Ong is now held at the Senate Office of the Sergeant-at-Arms (OSAA). He was logged in at about 3 o’clock.

OSAA security officers arrested Ong at his residence while he was virtually attending the hybrid public hearing of the Senate Blue Ribbon committee chaired by Senator Richard J, Gordon.

The hearing was in connection with the alleged ‘’overpriced’’ contracts awarded to Pharmally by the Procurement Service Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM) amounting to more than P10 billion.

Senate Minority Leader Franklin M. Drilon tagged the Pharmally-PS DBM contracts as ‘’premeditated plunder.’’

It will be recalled that the Senate committee wanted to cite Ong in contempt for lying to senators-members of the committee.

He was initially placed under house arrest because OSAA security officers allowed him to stay home as he was COVID-19 positive.

Ong was finally arrested after he was declared COVID-19 negative.

During the committee hearing, Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III announced that he was extending the committee hearing by one more hour before senators go on plenary session at 4 p.m. as they awaited the arrival of Senate security officers with Ong in tow.

Last week, Gordon surprised his colleagues when he revealed that Land Transportation Office (LTO) records show that Ong and two other Pharmally officials drive luxury cars.

Ong alone has two Porsche sports cars and a Lexus.

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