House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability chairman, DIWA Party-list Rep. Michael Aglipay said he favors the proposed release of two Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp. executives from detention.
The two Pharmally executives, Mohit Dargani and Linconn Ong, have been detained at the Pasay City Jail since Nov. 30, 2022.
They were cited in contempt and ordered detained by the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee for refusal or failure to provide documents pertaining to Pharmally’s contracts with the Procurement Services, Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM).
This was during the height of the investigations on the alleged overpriced coronavirus disease (COVID-19) supplies procured by the Duterte administration from Pharmally.
Reporters asked Aglipay for a reaction regarding a request coming from the families of the two detainees for their release given that both Senate and Congress have released their respective reports on the Pharmally probe.
“Yes I support the release of the executives since both chambers have already recommended in their respective reports that cases should be filed against the owners and officers of Pharmally,” Aglipay told reporters on Thursday, Feb. 24.
The Aglipay panel has released a report recommending the filing of charges of syndicated estafa against Pharmally executives Dargani, Ong, Twinkle Dargani, Huang Tzu Yen, Justine Garado, and Krizle Mago.
“My committee has said that there is enough evidence to charge them with syndicated estafa,” Aglipay added.
Meanwhile, the Senate panel’s report recommended that violations of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act to be filed against Dargani, Ong, former DBM-PS Undersecretary Christopher Lloyd Lao, Department of Health (DOH) Secrettary Francisco Duque III, Warren Rex Liong, Dickson Panti, Twinkle Dargani, Krizle Grace Mago, Huang Tzu Yen, Michael Yang a.k.a. Yang Hong Ming, and Lin Weixiong.
The report also endorsed the filing of deportation cases against "undesirable aliens" ex-Duterte adviser Yang, Lin Weixiong, who and Qing Jin Ke.
“Since that is the case, they are no longer needed in both Houses and should answer the charges in the courts,” Aglipay said.
According to a 2018 Supreme Court (SC) ruling, the Senate can neither detain a person held in contempt indefinitely during legitimate legislative inquiry, nor can the Senate continue to detain a person held in contempt once the legislative inquiry has concluded.