Sotto, Drilon confident SC will uphold Senate’s detention of Pharmally’s Ong

Two Senate leaders on Wednesday expressed confidence that the Supreme Court will uphold the chamber’s order to detain Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corporation Director Linconn Ong.

Senate President Vicente Sotto III and Minority Leader Franklin Drilon made the statements after the high court asked the Senate to answer the petition filed by Ong over his continued detention.

“There are a number of decisions and jurisprudence established from the SC favoring the Senate on that aspect,” Sotto said in a text message shared to reporters.

Meanwhile, Drilon cited the 1950 jurisprudence in the case of Arnault vs. Nazareno which, he said, supports the Senate’s decision to detain Ong.

“I am confident that on the basis of decided cases since Arnault v Nazareno in 1950, the Senate is legally correct in detaining Ong until he answers our questions,” Drilon, a former Justice secretary, said.

Both Sotto and Drilon said the Senate legal counsel will answer the petition filed by Ong before the high tribunal.

But Drilon said the Senate blue ribbon committee could also handle the case for the Senate.

“It is the Senate Legal counsel who should respond, but there is nothing in the Rules that will prevent the [Senate President] from authorizing the Blue Ribbon to handle the case for the Senate. It had happened in the past,” the minority leader said.

On Tuesday, SC spokesman Brian Hosaka said respondents in Ong’s petition were required by the high court to file their comment and prayer to the main petition for the temporary restraining order.

Last October 7, Ong, through legal counsel Ferdinand Topacio, asked the SC to order his release from Senate custody.

Named respondents to the petition were the Senate Blue Ribbon committee and its chairperson, Senator Richard Gordon; Senate President Vicente Sotto III; and retired Major General Rene Samonte of the Senate sergeant-at-arms.

Ong has been under the custody of the Senate since September 21 after he was cited in contempt due to his "evasive responses" to the senators' questions regarding the alleged overpriced medical supplies purchased by the government from Pharmally at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic last year. — RSJ, GMA News