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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider Sotto says he has yet to see Pharmally execs request to be released, placed under house arrest

Sotto says he has yet to see Pharmally execs request to be released, placed under house arrest

Published May 4, 2022 01:24 pm

Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III on Wednesday (April 4) said he has yet to see the request of two detained Pharmally Pharmaceuticals corporation executives to be released from the Pasay city jail and planted instead under house arrest.

‘'Ang nabasa ko ay ang report sa dyaryo na dinedemanda nila ako sa CHR gayong ministerial ang role ng SP kapag may approved motion ang Isang Committee (What it have read is a news report that I am being accused before the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) although my role as Senate President is ministerial when there is a motion approved by a committee,’’ he said in his Viber account.

Sotto’s reaction was sought by Senate reporters after two detained Pharmally executives are begging for mercy as they asked the Senate blue ribbon committee chaired by re-electionist Senator Richard J. Gordon to order their release and place them under house arrest on humanitarian grounds.

The two Pharmally executives are Linconn Ong, director, and Mohit Dargani, corporate secretary and treasurer.

They filed their separate “reiterative motions” before the committee last March 22 by their lawyer Donn Rico Kapunan.

Ong and Dargani have been cited in contempt by the Gordon committee and detained at the Pasay City Jail since November last year.

Their incarceration followed their failure or refusal to produce Pharmally’s corporate documents in connection with the committee’s probe on the alleged ‘’overpriced’’ and highly irregular deal of the company with the Procurement Service - Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM).

Although it only had P625,000 in paid-up capital, Pharmally was able to bag more than P10-billion in contracts for the delivery of Covid-19 medical supplies.

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Tito Sotto pharmally pharma house arrest
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