Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III has always been one of the more sober and reasonable voices in the Senate.

Lawyer Ferdinand Topacio issued the statement after thanking Sotto for his ‘’kind announcement regarding our clients Mohit Dargani and Linconn Ong, and to his adherence to the ruling of the Supreme Court regarding the limits of the power of the Senate to cite in contempt.’’

Sotto earlier told Senate reporters that the contempt slapped by the Senate Blue Ribbon committee on Dargani and Ong would be extinguished when Congress goes on a sine due adjournment on June 3.

The committee had Dargani and Ong detained at the Pasay City jail last November for their refusal or failure to submit financial records of Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corporation to it.

Senators alleged that the more than P10-billion Pharmally contracts to supply the Procurement Service of the Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM) with Covid-related medical supplies were overpriced.

"Now that the light at the end of the tunnel is in sight, so to speak, we would like to thank everyone who have shown their faith in the innocence of our clients, and who have comforted their aggrieved families in their ordeal,’’ Topacio said.

‘’It is our fervent prayer that notwithstanding the release of the our clients, the Supreme Court resolve our two pending petitions before it in a manner that will further limit the scope of the powers of the Legislature, by striking a happy balance between preserving its prerogatives as a lawmaking body, and ensuring that the exercise of such will not outrun the bounds of reason and result in sheer oppression,’’ he stressed.

‘’In the final analysis, we are confident that should the matter reach the courts, then our clients will be fully vindicated in a forum where the rules are clear, and the sporting idea of fair play reigns supreme,’’ he added.