Senator Risa Hontiveros said on Thursday, Nov. 25 that they stand by the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee after former presidential economic adviser Michael Yang asked the Supreme Court (SC) to nullify the arrest orders issued against him.
"The oversight powers of the senate are well-settled in law and jurisprudence," she said in a statement following the filing of Yang's petition through lawyer Raymond Parsifal A. Fortun.
"The resource persons’ evasiveness and their resistance to cooperate with our investigation come at actual great cost to the government," she added.
Aside from the arrest warrants, Yang also sought the nullification of the lookout bulletin issued against him by the Bureau of Immigration (BI).
The Senate’s committee, according to Yang, violated his rights under Article III of the Constitution which “defines the rights of the individual by limiting the lawful powers of the State.”
Senators have been focusing their inquiry on Pharmally which bagged the billions worth of contract for the procurement of COVID-19 pandemic supplies which the lawmakers deemed to be overpriced.
Pharmally's dealings has been questioned as well by the Senate blue ribbon panel as to the reason why the contracts were awarded to them despite having only P625,000 in paid-up capital.
Hontiveros said that Certified Public Accountants (CPAs) have already stated that they owe the government P5 billion which is why they will not stop to make them accountable.