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The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee on Tuesday released its preliminary report on its investigation on the alleged anomalies in the government’s handling of COVID-19 pandemic funds and recommended that charges be filed against a former state economic adviser, Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp. executives and Department of Budget and Management (DBM) officials.

Senate President Vicente Sotto III seemed unfazed by President Duterte’s threat to have senators arrested should they cite Cabinet officials for contempt in their legislative inquiries.

President Duterte continued to play hardball with the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee as he announced the issuance of a memorandum enforcing his earlier pronouncement to personally clear invites for his Cabinet members to attend the panel’s hearings.

Malacañang said members of the Duterte Cabinet do not mind attending the Senate’s hearings on the government’s controversial deal with pharmaceutical firm Pharmally, saying they have nothing to hide.

Krizle Mago, a pharmaceutical firm executive who went missing after testifying in the Senate against her own company, will testify again in a legislative inquiry but this time before members of the House of Representatives on Oct. 4, Monday.

The Department of Health (DOH) said it is investigating allegations against Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corporation that it tampered with manufacturing dates of medical-grade face shields for health workers. “[We are] investigating reports of suspected tampering of manufacturing dates of face shields procured from the Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corporation,” the DOH said in a statement on Friday, Oct. 1. “Upon the directive of the Secretary of Health, the Department is conducting a comprehensive review of procurement transactions which includes inspection of incoming or currently housed stocks of PPEs procured from Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corporation either directly or indirectly through the Procurement Service of the Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM),” it added. Pharmally has delivered more than 500,000 pieces of face shields, the department said. The DOH, however, noted that it “has not yet paid” Pharmally “since it is yet to complete the deliveries of the procured face shields.” “We are fast-tracking our investigation on the face shields delivered to the DOH and if those are the ones being referred to in the Senate hearing. If the face shields are proven to be tampered with, we would definitely take necessary legal remedies,” DOH Undersecretary Atty. Charade Mercado-Grande. “The DOH assures that prior to sending out any procured items for use by our healthcare workers, these are duly inspected. Likewise, health facilities have to inspect, count, and verify the items they received from the DOH,” she added. Grande noted that the DOH decided to “suspend acceptance and further deliveries of face shields from Pharmally, pending the conclusion of the investigations in the Department.” “We are aware of the statements made by Pharmally employees about the tampering of the production date on the certificate,” she said. “Out of prudence and caution, the DOH has decided to suspend the succeeding deliveries to protect the interest and safety of our healthcare workers,” she added. In a recent Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing, Pharmally Executive Krizle Grace Mago admitted that her company tampered with the expiry dates of face shields they delivered to the government.

A visibly furious President Duterte revealed that he has ordered Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea to prepare a memorandum directing those under the Executive Branch of government to “not obey” the summons coming from the Senate, saying it is overstepping its jurisdiction.

For President Duterte, the way the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee has been treating its resource persons is worse than being arrested during martial law.

The Department of Health (DOH) does not accept face shields that did not underwent scrutiny by the agency’s inspection team, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said Monday, Sept. 27.

Senator Richard Gordon on Sunday, Sept. 26, said senators could no longer contact an officer of Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp. who admitted to tampering the expiration dates of COVID-19 supplies they delivered to the government.

President Duterte believes that the senators will get their “karma” sooner or later for the way they’ve been treating resource persons or guests in their marathon investigations.

The Anti-Money Laundering Council may have hinted Thursday, Sept. 23 that it has started the “first stage” in determining possible money laundering activities involving Pharmally Pharmaceuticals.

Controversial former presidential economic adviser Michael Yang on Monday, Sept. 20, claimed that he never financed Pharmally Pharmaceutical’s P8 billion questionable transactions with government but helped it find friends to bankroll the deal.

The Commission on Audit (COA) and the Office of the Ombudsman should start conducting its own investigation into the multi-billion deals between the Department of Budget and Management’s Procurement Service (DBM-PS) and Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp. amid revelations of anomalies in the awarding of nearly P11-billion contracts to a small company that only has a paid-up capital of P625,000, Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon said.

Senator Panfilo Lacson on Saturday, September 18, expressed his support for Senator Richard Gordon and the Senate’s ongoing inquiry into the government’s purchase of COVID-19 supplies.

The executive department has no authority to prohibit private individuals from attending the Senate’s investigation on the alleged anomalies in the government’s procurement of COVID-19 supplies, Senate President Vicente Sotto III said on Wednesday, September 15.

Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corporation’s ability to corner multi-billion transactions with the government despite incomplete documents and a paid-up capital of only P625,000 speaks of the Department of Budget and Management’s procurement service (DBM-PS) gross negligence and or complicity, Senator Risa Hontiveros said.

The Senate will remain independent and continue with its mandate in ensuring proper use of public funds, even as the executive department would refuse to cooperate in its proceedings.