Gordon confident draft report on Pharmally will get support from colleagues

Senator Richard Gordon on Wednesday expressed confidence that the draft partial report on the COVID-19 supply procurement investigation released by the blue ribbon committee will get the support of other senators.

In a virtual press conference, Gordon said the report has not been signed yet by other members of the panel due to the limitations brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, but added he believes he will get a “substantial number” of senators before it can be sponsored in the plenary.

“Dahil naka-lockdown tayo...tawagan lang ang nangyayari and we have a substantial number and this afternoon, we intend to bring it to the floor and they said that they will support it,” Gordon told reporters.

(Because we are on lockdown, we are communicating through our mobile phones and we have a substantial number, and this afternoon we intend to bring it to the floor and they said they will support it.)

Gordon said he is hoping that the report will not be blocked by other lawmakers allied with President Rodrigo Duterte.

“Alam ko naman na ginagapang na, ‘yung ibang senador, nagdadasal lang kami…na ‘wag maagaw ng masama ‘yung pagbibigay ng katotohanan,” Gordon said.

(I know some are starting to block the report. We are just praying that the truth will not be covered.)

“I hope hindi mahati ang Senado. It will be tragic kung mahahati ang Senado on partisan basis. Ang dapat maghati lang ang Senado, between truth and lies. Sana sumang-ayon sila sa katotohanan,” he added.

(I hope that the Senate won’t be divided. It will be tragic if the Senate will be divided on partisan basis. The Senate should just pick between truth and lies. We hope they will side with the truth.)

On Tuesday, Gordon released the draft partial committee report on the investigation into the transfer of P42 billion funds from the Department of Health (DOH) to the Department of Budget and Management-Procurement Service (PS-DBM).

The panel’s draft report said Duterte has betrayed the public trust with his actions related to the government's controversial multi-billion-peso supply contracts with Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corporation.

The Senate committee also recommended plunder, graft and other criminal and administrative charges against Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, former government officials, and Pharmally executives.

“Mahirap kalaban ang Pangulo… Ngayon lang ako nakakita ng pangulo na talagang hinaharang lahat para malaman ang katotohanan. Ganun pa naman, we will stand on our report. I think it is a very substantial report,” Gordon said.

(It is hard to go against the President. It is only now that we saw a president who tries to block the truth from coming out. Despite that, we will stand on our report. I think it is a very substantial report.)

If the report will not be adopted in the plenary, Gordon said he would still provide copies to the Office of hte Ombudsman and the Department of Justice like what he did in the previous blue ribbon investigations.

Senators comment on report

At the same virtual press conference, Senator Manny Pacquiao, member of the Senate blue ribbon panel, said he fully supports the report released by Gordon.

“I fully support the report, the blue ribbon report. Totoo naman lahat ng sinasabi doon (all of their findings are true),” he said.

“Lahat naman iyan ay dumaan sa investigation. Di lang naman isang beses sa pag-iimbestiga, hearing. Lahat iyon ay ang naging resulta ng imbestigasyon at dapat respetuhin at igalang ng lahat,” he added.

(All of the components of the report have been scrutinized in the investigations that were conducted. We should respect that.)

Pacquiao said he supports the recommendations indicated in the report “without reservations.”

Senator Risa Hontiveros, meanwhile, said that she is still reviewing the draft report but commended Gordon for his conviction and persistence.

“What is clear is that our health workers were shortchanged by a group of bandits with powerful protectors,” Hontiveros said.

Meanwhile, Senator Panfilo Lacson said he has already signed the report although he has reservations in some recommendations made by the panel.

“I signed with remarks, ‘With reservation/Will interpellate’,” Lacson said in a text message to GMA News Online.

Lacson, in a radio interview, said he would seek clarification on the charges recommended against Duterte and other individuals linked to the controversy.

“Nag-indicate ako na mag-iinterpellate ako kasi mayroon akong mga gustong liwanagin, lalo doon sa, parang may recommendation yata doon na kasuhan ang Pangulong Duterte ng betrayal of public trust. Malalim na usaping legal ito pati ‘yung pagkakaso doon sa personalidad,” he said.

(I indicated my intention to interpellate because I need clarification regarding some parts of the report, especially the recommendation to charge President Duterte over alleged betrayal of public trust. It is a deep legal issue, even the charging of cases against other personalities.)

He added that the committee report might not be adopted in the remaining session days as he sees extensive interpellation from some senators.

“So considering na last day ngayon at magi-extend kami bukas, last session day bago ang break sa kampanya, ‘di ma-adopt muna ang resolution yung committee report ni Senator Gordon,” he said.

(Considering that we will take a session break in view of the election campaign, I think we won’t immediately adopt the committee report released by Senator Gordon.)

Both Houses of Congress are set to adjourn its session on February 4 to give way for the campaign for the May elections.

Ombudsman can probe

Moreover, Gordon said the Office of the Ombudsman can already start probing Duterte over his alleged involvement and negligence on the procurement controversy.

“Sa totoo lang [actually], the Ombudsman can conduct an investigation even of the President and when he finds that there’s grounds to file a case against him, he can file a case not [before] any court but in the Lower House for impeachment,” he said.

“So there is no blanket rule na the president cannot be charged. He can be charged by the Ombudsman but there is no more time,” he added.

Charges vs. Duterte

Since there is no sufficient time for an impeachment case to prosper in the 18th Congress, Gordon said Duterte could face charges once he steps down from office on June 30, 2022.

“‘Pag tapos nitong [After this] Congress, he will be an ordinary citizen and like other people who committed crimes in this country, the long arm of the law will eventually catch up with whoever is guilty,” he said.

Asked what will prompt him to file a case against Duterte and other personalities involved, Gordon said he has already done his part in the investigation.

“I have already done my work. Let the others do their work. If everybody will join me in a class suit, fine. If I would have to argue my case in the court, I will do that but the point is, why are you looking at me? Have I not done enough? I think I’ve done enough,” he said.

Malacanang has refused to comment on the draft report, saying it has yet to be adopted by the committee.

“It was a partial, unofficial finding,” acting presidential spokesperson Karlo Nograles said earlier in the day. “It's something we cannot comment on because it is not yet official.”

Nograles assured the public that Duterte does not tolerate corruption and would not stand in the way of filing criminal charges against those liable.

Aside from the criminal charges that were indicated in the panel’s draft report, Gordon said other recommendations would include the abolition of the PS-DBM; the strict compliance to the legal, technical and financial requirements under the procurement law; strict compliance to the filing and payments of taxes; and the review of immigration rules on the issuance of permanent resident visas to foreigners, among others.

Gordon denies grandstanding

Gordon also refuted allegations that he is using the Pharmally investigation for his reelection, saying the Senate panel is merely doing its job and it is not a “personal crusade.”

He also expressed confidence that this issue won’t affect his reelection bid in the Senate.

“It will not affect the chances of my reelection principally because I think a lot of people do not believe the president anymore. He has lost ground. Nakita niyo bumaba na s’ya and I think my record will speak for itself. I don’t run on the basis of Pharmally. I run on the basis of my long standing record,” he said.

Last week, Gordon said he will release the full committee report after they gather more information from five more individuals being linked to Pharmally.

The Senate blue ribbon committee investigated the transfer of P42 billion COVID-19 funds from the Department of Health to the PS-DBM.

This includes PS-DBM’s purchase of P8.6 billion worth of face masks, face shields, and PPEs from Pharmally, a firm that only had a P625,000 paid-up capital when it entered transactions with the government. —KBK, GMA News