Revelations and testimonies

We often hear from this administration that if there is nothing to hide, no guilt, any investigation should not be feared. A few days ago, President Duterte ordered that his permission is required before a member of his Cabinet can attend a Senate invitation, a move that Gloria Arroyo first enforced during the "Hello Garci" controversy. Birds of the same feather.

Legally, Duterte can do that, but not on private individuals such as Michael Yang and Pharmally officials. Senator Ping Lacson stated what would people think if they do not want to face investigations? Is there something to hide? Could it be with the number of revelations and testimonies in the current Senate investigation into government transactions with Pharmally Pharmaceuticals Corp., they are now backing out and hiding behind Duterte? Duterte is livid with how senators are investigating his Cabinet and friends, targeting Sen. Gordon. But isn't that what they are supposed to do, being a co-equal branch of government? Ah, but there seems to be no such thing as co-equal under this administration.

There are too many issues that cannot be ignored regarding Pharmally just because Duterte says so. They did not have the funds to fulfill the billions in government contracts. If this were a locally-owned company, would this administration award the contract? If Michael Yang was not in the picture no matter how much he denies it, would Pharmally have bagged the contract? If there was no blessing by government officials to bypass so many procedural steps, would they have been able to deliver and be paid so promptly?

I believe overpricing of PPEs is no longer the main issue. A legislator trying to be relevant said the Senate did not give importance to the COA stating they did not report the equipment as overpriced. But many revelations have since come up, mostly from Pharmally officials themselves. Why didn't the Procurement Service Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM) do due diligence before the contract was awarded? The address given in Taguig was fake. That did not raise red flags? Why was the equipment delivered even before notice of award was issued, and Pharmally paid right away? Why were inspection reports signed even if the items were still in China? All these are standard protocols? These do not raise questions at the House, whom Duterte praises for being fair? Of course, that's the House of Duterte.

The Senate should not back down, no matter what else the Palace and its allies do. The investigation being done is rightfully just. The actions of Duterte and his allies seem to indicate the investigation is coming close to home. He has ordered his solicitor general to order COA to audit Gordon and the Red Cross. It remains to be seen if that's possible. For me, Duterte's actions speak volumes. He just doesn't want his administration and friends to be questioned and investigated, period.