DAVAO CITY –— President Rodrigo Duterte welcomes the move of the Philippine College of Physicians in asking the Office of the Ombudsman to investigate the alleged overpricing of Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp. in the procurement of Covid-19 supplies.
.This, PCP urged the Ombudsman to file the appropriate cases against all those responsible for any corruption.
In his pre-recorded talk to the nation Tuesday night, Duterte said “We welcome the call of the Philippine College of Physicians that this matter should immediately be given to our courts and the Ombudsman. We have been saying this for the longest time and we all know that the Senate cannot prosecute. Mabuti pa ang mga doktor, alam at naintindihan nila (At least the doctors understand). Filing cases is the right way to go.”
The Senate has been conducting public hearings on the reported overpricing to supplies by Pharmally.
Opposition Senators took turns in asking the drug company why their medical supplies were sold to the government at a higher price when their items under a catalog were cheaper.
During the Senate blue ribbon committee hearing on Tuesday, Senator Risa Hontiveros presented data that infrared thermometers were sold to the Department of Transportation (DOTr) at P3,200 per piece, while their catalog for allegedly the same period showed the same item being sold at just P2,000.
Due to the unending inquiries, Duterte is asking the senators to “File cases is the right way to go. Stop using this issue in aid of election. Problema kasi sa Senate natin trying hard maghanap ng mga issue na may nangungurakot o kaya may nagkakapera. But up to now, the committee has not really built a case out of the numerous hearings they have conducted.”
The President insisted that there was no overpricing and everything was legal, procedures were followed in accordance with the provisions of Bayanihan 1. or the Republic Act (RA) 9184 or the Government Procurement Reform Act and RA 11469 or the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act.
“Na-deliver lahat at binayaran nang pagkatapos na-deliver (It was delivered and paid after delivery), he said.
He also challenged the senate “If you think that you have identified companies with tax issues, then file the appropriate cases.”
Duterte urged the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, which conducts a series of probes into the Pharmally controversy, to stop using the issue “in aid of election.”
“Problema kasi sa Senate natin, trying hard maghanap ng mga issue na may nangungurakot o kaya may nagkakapera (The problem with the Senate is that it’s trying hard to look for issues of corruption) but up to now the committee has not really built a case out of the numerous hearings they have conducted,” he said.
Duterte challenged the Senate to bring before the Supreme Court his memorandum prohibiting executive officials from attending Senate probes.
“You call my memorandum stupid? Well I challenge you, bring your arguments to the proper court and I will answer you,” he said.
Duterte again whipped Senator Richard “Dick” Gordon for supposedly threatening to cut budgets of government agencies and departments over his memorandum .
“You threaten the budget of different agencies of the executive because the officials refuse to attend to your hearings? Itong pangaabuso talaga…And they threaten to paralyze government, I challenge you do it,” he said.-Editha Z. Caduaya
