MANILA, Philippines — Senate President Vicente Sotto III believes the Blue Ribbon committee should wrap up its inquiry into the alleged multibillion-peso anomalies in the procurement of pandemic supplies and come up with a committee report so the chamber can formally recommend the prosecution of those responsible for wrongdoings before Congress adjourns next month.
Sotto stressed he was not leaning on Sen. Richard Gordon, chairman of the committee, but thought the panel can end the inquiry in one or two more hearings as the panel already has enough evidence to prosecute certain sitting and former government officials as well as private citizens, including owners of Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp.
“To whatever point they (committee) would like to bring the issue of Pharmally (to its conclusion), it’s all there. There are about two or three personalities who do not want to speak or have avoided the investigation,” Sotto told “The Chiefs” over One News channel.
“But if you connect the events, the purchase, to where the funds were spent, where the funds came from, how some people in government got involved, the Blue Ribbon committee knows already,” he said.
Noting that the Senate only has three weeks left – equivalent to nine session days – when Congress resumes session on Monday, the chamber has very little time to deliberate on the committee report before formally approving or rejecting it.
Sotto said the chamber would also have to deliberate and pass many other urgent measures, like the proposed Maritime Baselines Act, and the bill on health workers’ benefits, before Congress adjourns for the election period.
If passed by the Senate, he believes that the committee report would have great weight, especially in its recommendations to the Office of the Ombudsman and the Department of Justice to make certain prosecutions and investigations.
He also said he believes Gordon is holding a draft report but a complete one that would “complete the picture” should be forthcoming very soon.
Pharmally reportedly bagged P11 billion in contracts from the government despite having only P625,000 in capital owing to its alleged connections with the Duterte administration.
Two of its executives, Mohit Dargani and Linconn Ong, are currently detained for contempt of the Senate at the Pasay City Jail.