Villanueva challenges Pharmally execs to prove it paid gov't-mandated contributions

Senator Joel Villanueva challenged officials of Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp. to present proof it paid mandatory contributions of its employees in 2020, contrary to regulatory reports it submitted to government agencies.

At the resumption of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing on Friday, Villanueva confronted Pharmally chief executive Huang Tzu Yen on whether the controversial supplier of personal protective equipment to the government did pay mandated contributions such as SSS, PhilHealth and Pag-Ibig of its seven full-time employees.

"I have documents here stating you have zero payments to government-mandated contributions like SSS, PhilHealth, Pag-ibig. "We want to know whether mandatory contributions such as SSS, Philhealth, and Pag-ibig have been paid," Villanueva said, requesting the committee to subpoena these documents showing proof of payment by Pharmally of government-mandated contributions.

"We have reason to believe that these mandatory government contributions are not being paid," continued Villanueva, chair of the Senate labor committee. "Hindi nga nakakalikha ng trabaho, hindi pa nagbabayad ng mandatory contributions."

Villanueva likewise pointed out that the annual salaries it paid to its full-time employees weren't enough to pay executives such as a general manager which usually oversees operations of a company.

He said companies with smaller income, such as "mom-and-pop" operations, hire more workers and spend more for payroll.

"Yung may isawan at barbequehan sa kanto, na P50,000 siguro ang kapital, makikita po natin na tatlong tao nagtutulungan. Itong Pharmally, na 'platinum' supplier ang turing ng gobyerno, ay mukhang one-man operation lang," he said. "Mas marami pa yata ang trabahong na nalilikha ng isang kababayan natin na may T-shirt printing business sa bahay."

Villanueva said Pharmally's payroll-to-sales ratio beats the record of blue chips companies.

He said Pharamally's lean personnel compensation proves that "it was a middle man, who did not own a single sewing machine and did not buy a single yard of cloth, but profited as a broker."

He again rued the wasted opportunity to provide local jobs to domestic PPE manufacturers when a "large contract financed by taxpayer's money was sent overseas."

He said government agencies with purchasing budgets should also take into consideration the makers and origins of the products they are buying and factor them into their decision for as long as it complies with the law.

________________________________________________________________________________

Villanueva, hinimok ang Pharmally na patuyang binayaran nito ang mandated contributions ng kanilang empleyado

Hinimok ni Senator Joel Villanueva ang mga opisyal ng Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp. na patunayang nagbayad sila ng mga mandatory contributions ng kanilang mga empleyado noong 2020, salungat sa mga regulatory reports na isinumite nila sa mga ahensya ng gobyerno.

Sa pagpapatuloy ng pagdinig ng Senate Blue Ribbon Committee noong Biyernes, tinanong ni Villanueva si Pharmally chief executive Huang Tzu Yen kung talagang nagbayad ang kumpanya nila ng mandated contributions tulad ng SSS, PhilHealth at Pag-ibig ng kanilang pitong full-time na empleyado.

"Mayroon po tayong mga dokumento nagsasaad na zero payments po kayo sa mga government-mandated contributions tulad ng SSS, PhilHealth, at Pag-ibig. Gusto po natin malaman kung nabayaran po ba ang mga mandatory contributions na ito," ani Villanueva, na hiniling rin sa kumite na maglabas ng subpoena para sa mga dokumentong magpapatunay na nagbayad ang Pharmally ng mga naturang kontribusyon.

"We have reason to believe that these mandatory government contributions are not being paid," dagdag ni Villanueva, chairman ng Senate labor committee. "Hindi nga nakakalikha ng trabaho, hindi pa nagbabayad ng mandatory contributions."

Pinunto ni Villanueva na ang taunang sahod na umano'y binayad ng kumpanya sa kanilang mga full-time na empleyado ay hindi sapat para bayaran ang mga opisyal nito, tulad ng isang general manager na kadalasang nangangasiwa sa operasyon ng kumpanya.

Ang mga kumpanyang may mas maliit na kita, tulad ng tinaguriang "mom-and-pop shops," ay kumukuha ng mas maraming manggagawa at gumagastos ng mas malaki para sa sahod ng kanilang mga tauhan.

"Yung may isawan at barbequehan sa kanto, na P50,000 siguro ang kapital, makikita po natin na tatlong tao nagtutulungan. Itong Pharmally, na 'platinum' supplier ang turing ng gobyerno, ay mukhang one-man operation lang," anang mambabatas. "Mas marami pa yata ang trabahong na nalilikha ng isang kababayan natin na may T-shirt printing business sa bahay."

Dagdag pa niya na ang payroll-to-sales ratio ng Pharmally ay hinigitan pa ang tala ng mga blue-chip companies.

Ipinapakita rin ng kakarampot na personnel compensation ng Pharmally na tumatayo ito bilang isang "middle man, na walang pag-aari nang ni-isang makinang panahi, at hindi bumili ng kahit isang yarda ng tela, ngunit kumita lamang bilang isang broker."

Ikinalungkot ni Villanueva ang nasayang na pagkakataon para lumikha ng trabaho para sa mga lokal na manufacturer ng PPE nang ma-award "ang isang malaking kontrata na binayaran gamit ang buwis ng taumbayan ay napunta lamang sa ibayong dagat."

Giit pa niya ang kahalagahan sa mga ahensya ng gobyerno na tangkilikin ang gawang Pilipino kapag namimili ng mga gamit, basta't tumatalima ito sa mga kasalukuyang panuntunan at titik ng batas.