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MANILA, Philippines (Updated 3:40 p.m.) — The Office of the Ombudsman has recommended the filing of charges against individuals involved in the graft-tainted procurement of the government’s pandemic supplies from a little-known company.
The Ombudsman’s special panel of investigators recommended filing of three counts of graft under section 3 (e) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act against the following public and private respondents tagged in the Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corporation mess:
- Lloyd Christopher Lao, former chief of the Department of Budget and Management’s Procurement Service
- Warren Rex Liong, former PS-DBM procurement group director and currently the overall deputy ombudsman
- Paul Jasper De Guzman, procurement management officer of PS-DBM
- Twinkle Dargani, Pharmally president
- Mohit Dargani, Pharmally corporate secretary and treasurer
- Linconn Ong, Pharmally director
- Justine Garado
- Huang Tzu Yen, Pharmally chair
The panel also recommended filing one count of graft against the following PS-DBM officials, except one:
- Christine Marie Suntay, administrative and finance group director of PS-DBM
- Webster Laureñana
- August Ylagan
- Jasonmer Uayan
- Krizle Grace Mago, Pharmally employee
They were involved in the irregular procurement of RT-PCR test kits amounting to P4.16 billion.
The Ombudsman said the charges against other respondents were dismissed for insufficiency of evidence.
Pharmally, a startup with a capital of only P625,000, bagged the lion’s share of government contracts for face shields, face masks and COVID-19 test kits at the height of the pandemic.
Former Sen. Richard Gordon, then chair of the blue ribbon committee, spearheaded an inquiry into the allegations that deals with Pharmally were irregular and the supplies bought from the company were overpriced.
Sen. Risa Hontiveros called the filing of charges against Lao and others tagged in the Pharmally mess a “welcome and much-awaited development.”
“This is an important step towards bringing accountability and justice against those behind the appalling waste and misuse of limited government funds while Filipinos suffer in the midst of a global pandemic,”