BY RAYMOND AFRICA and WENDELL VIGILIA
SENATE minority leader Franklin Drilon yesterday said he wants three officials of Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corporation to submit their income tax records for 2019 and 2020 to determine if they have the capacity to buy luxury vehicles.
During last Friday’s Senate Blue Ribbon committee hearing, senators learned that three Pharmally officials have acquired four luxury vehicles less than a year after the company was awarded at least P8.7 billion worth of government contracts for the purchase of medical supplies.
At the House, former presidential economic adviser Michael Yang told a hearing that he did not loan money to Pharmally, contrary to what a company official told a Senate hearing, and said he only referred the firm’s officials to some friends who then financed Pharmally.
Yang also denied he influenced the government’s decision to buy medical supplies from Pharmally. In one of the Senate hearings, Blue Ribbon chair Sen. Richard Gordon presented a video footage showing Yang and Duterte with Pharmally officials.
Pharmally in under scrutiny at the Senate for bagging billions in government contracts despite having a paid-up capital of only P625,000. The Senate is also looking into alleged overpriced items bought from Pharmally by the Procurement Service of the Department of Budget and Management using funds of the Department of Health.
The Blue Ribbon is scheduled to conduct its eighth hearing today.
Gordon, during last Friday’s hearing, said Pharmally executives Twinkle Dargani, Mohit Dargani, and Linconn Ong have acquired luxury cars worth P52.9 million.
Ong told the Senate earlier this month that Yang acted as financier and guarantor for Pharmally as he “offered to lend us money.” Another company official, president Huang Tzu Yen, also told the Senate the firm borrowed money from Yang.
Drilon, in an interview with “Teleradyo,” said the income tax records should determine if the three officials can buy the expensive vehicles. He noted that records show the company had zero income in 2019, but its income drastically increased to nearly P400 million when it was awarded the government contracts last year.
Drilon also said the Commission on Audit should conduct a “fraud audit” of the government contracts awarded to Pharmally, not just a regular annual audit.
At the House, Yang through an interpreter told the committee on good government and public accountability chaired by Rep. Michael Aglipay (PL, DIWA) that he did not even know Pharmally was vying to get the government contracts. He said he only knew about it when its officials approached him to ask his help in sourcing of suppliers.
