De Lima blasts Duterte's double standards on witness credibility

Opposition Senator Leila M. de Lima slammed Mr. Duterte's double standards after he belittled the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee for relying on the statements of Police Colonel Eduardo Acierto in its probe on the Pharmally Scandal.

Acierto's name popped up during the Blue Ribbon Committee hearings on the controversial Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corporation because of his 2019 revelation implicating Duterte's businessmen allies, including former presidential economic adviser Michael Yang, in the drug trade. Yang is linked to the P8.6 billion "Pharmally heist."

De Lima highlighted Duterte's double standards by recalling how he and the DOJ continue to use criminal convicts as witnesses to implicate her in the alleged illegal drug trade inside the New Bilibid Prison (NBP).

"Duterte will do anything to save his skin. He says Acierto is not a credible witness against Michael Yang and his alleged drug links because Acierto has an alleged criminal past. Then why are Duterte's witnesses against me criminal convicts?" she asked.

"Ganern? Pag kay Michael Yang hindi credible, kapag sa akin credible?," she added.

Recent Senate probe revealed that Yang is the financier and guarantor of the Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corporation, which has bagged over P8.68 billion worth of government contracts, including the purchase of allegedly overpriced medical supplies for COVID-19.

In 2019, Acierto linked Yang to the illegal drug trade, along with his business partners Allan Lim (aka Huen Li Gen or Ayong) and Johnson Chua (aka Chung Nga Way or Greg Sia) who is based in Macau.

Amid the damning developments in the ongoing Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearings about the Pharmally scandal, it is worthy to recall that way back in 28 March 2019, De Lima filed Proposed Senate Resolution (PSR) No. 1033 seeking to conduct an inquiry on the alleged involvement in the illegal drug trade of Michael Yang and on the extent of his influence over Duterte and the country's socioeconomic affairs.