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Duterte officially bans Cabinet officials from attending Senate probe on gov't medical supplies purchases
By LLANESCA T. PANTI,GMA NewsPresident Rodrigo Duterte officially ordered executive department officials and employees to stop attending the Senate investigation on the government's COVID-19 medical supply purchases amounting to P8 billion.
The order was issued through an October 4 memo signed by Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea and was released on Tuesday.
"The President has directed all officials and employees of the executive department to no longer appear or attend the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearings effective immediately," the memo read.
"Instead, they should focus all their time and effort on the implementation of measures to address the current state of calamity on account of COVID-19, and in carrying out their other functions."
The memo argued that the Senate probe had reached a point where the participation of individuals under the executive department had greatly affected the government's ability to fulfill its mandate amid the pandemic, echoing President Rodrigo Duterte's earlier pronouncements.
Ultimately, the memo accused the Senate of overstepping its authority in its efforts to hold people accountable.
"It has become evident that the said hearings are conducted not in aid of legislation, but to identify persons to hold accountable for alleged irregularities already punishable under existing laws," the memo said.
"In so doing, the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee has stepped into the mandates of other branches of government and has deprived itself of the only basis to compel attendance to its hearings," the memo added.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III skipped the Senate probe on Tuesday, citing Duterte's order.
However, the Philippine Bar Association (PBA) criticized Duterte's directive
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“The directive is detrimental to our people exacting public accountability from officials of the executive department, through our duly elected representative in the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee exercising their constitutional power of legislative oversight,” the PBA said in a statement.
The PBA went on to urge Duterte to “immediately recall” his orders, which “constitute clear violations of our Constitution.”
Blue Ribbon Committee Chairman Senator Richard Gordon likewise called the President's memorandum "unconstitutional" given that there were no issues of "national security, executive privilege, and diplomatic discussions as mentioned in the case of Senate vs. Ermita."
Senator Franklin Drilon chimed that the memorandum had "all the red flags of unconstitutionality."
Senator Panfilo Lacson joked that the President's memorandum was "Gordon specific."
"Not all Blue Ribbon committee hearings, this particular Senate blue ribbon committee hearings we are conducting," said Lacson.
During the Senate hearing, it was found that Pharmally allegedly outsourced its medical supplies from Chinese suppliers and that Pharmally was loaned financial resources by former Presidential Adviser Michael Yang.
Pharmally employee Krizle Mago also testified to swindling the government by changing expiry dates on face shields.
However, she later retracted her testimony when she attended a probe at the House of Representatives. — DVM, GMA News