President Duterte's defense of his supposed friends involved in the government's contracts with Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corporation should not be equated to tolerating acts of corruption.

Administration ally Senator Francis Tolentino said this Wednesday, Sept. 29, even as he believed that Duterte should just let the Senate inquiry on the issue proceed.

"The President is used to defending people close to him, his friends, so this is human nature," Tolentino said in an interview on ABS-CBN News Channel.

When reminded about Duterte's anti-corruption promise, he replied: "That's his personal choice. But if given a chance, I would probably tell him that he already made his point, just let the investigation proceed. And that he can probably refrain from defending persons he could probably term as friends."

"But his defense should not be considered as a tolerance of corruption. His defense here should not be considered as an unyielding or stubborn response to an investigation but a measure of what friendship is," Tolentino maintained.

President Duterte has been criticizing senators over the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee's probe on the Department of Health's (DOH) disbursement of its COVID-19 response funds, which has zoomed in on the purchase of medical supplies through the Department of Budget and Management's Procurement Service (DBM-PS).

The lawmakers learned that the DBM-PS, then headed by resigned Budget Secretary Lloyd Christopher Lao, who was part of Duterte's campaign team in 2016, awarded over P8.6 billion in contracts to Pharmally for the procurement of face masks, face shields, and testing kits, among others.

Senators found this questionable because Pharmally is a new company and only had a paid-up capital of P625,000.

Pharmally executives later admitted asking Duterte's former economic adviser and Davao-based Chinese businessman Michael Yang for help in financing some of their purchases.

Duterte defended both Yang and Lao.

Tolentino said that while he thinks the President's attacks were "personal statements", the separation of powers between the branches of government must be recognized.

"If we look at separation of powers, I think the respect due the Senate must be accorded, the same is true with the President, it must be respected," he said.

"But it's part of the legislative agenda, legislative mill, to really produce substance out of the testimonies that would perhaps be translated into legislation," he also pointed out.

For instance, Tolentino said he is looking to file a bill that would restrict the Government Procurement Policy Board (GPPB) from frequently amending the implementing rules and regulations of the country's procurement laws.

He also reiterated the need to pass a "Buy Filipino" law to make sure that local products and businesses will be prioritized in government purchases.

Tolentino also expressed openness to proposals for the abolition of the DBM-PS.