Continued refusal of 5 individuals to attend Pharmally hearings proves they have a lot to hide from the probe - De Lima

Opposition Senator Leila M. de Lima lambasted the continuing attempt being made by individuals to cover-up the anomalies in the multibillion-peso transaction between Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp. and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) by consistently refusing to attend Senate hearings.

De Lima made the statement after the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee cited for contempt Rose Nono-Lin, Gerald Cruz, Jayson Uson, Sophia Custodio, and Dennis Manalastas for failing to attend the panel hearings, which has been conducting an inquiry on the government's procurement of COVID-19 supplies in 2020.

"The continued refusal of witnesses to appear before the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, despite subpoena and even arrest orders, means that these people have a lot to hide from the investigation and the public regarding the Pharmally transactions," she said.

"There is a clear design to frustrate the ends of justice in these Blue Ribbon Committee hearings, with witnesses and resource persons more than willing to be cited in contempt, and jailed, by the Senate rather than disobey whoever is behind the cover-up," she added.

Sen. Richard Gordon, Chairman of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, cited Lin, a stockholder of a company linked to Pharmally, and four others in contempt for evading summons to attend the virtual hearing on the involvement of Pharmally in the scandal.

Last month, Senators said that Pharmally Pharmaceutical may have made "ghost deliveries" of face masks, face shields and personal protective equipment (PPEs) worth at least P3 billion in 2020.

The lady Senator from Bicol maintained that Pharmally's cover-up will no longer work as the Committee prepares its evidence for the filing of plunder and tax evasion charges against its officials and their co-conspirators.

"The litany of possible charges enumerated by Sen. Gordon would make any law-abiding citizen cringe at the impunity displayed by those involved," she said.

"These are people who decided to raid the public coffers in the time of a pandemic when every centavo counts to save Filipino lives. Let the axe fall on them, hard and implacable," she added.

De Lima warned that people involved in the Pharmally heist cannot run from accountability forever.

"Kahit gaano sila kailap o ano mang pag-iwas ang gawin ng mga taong ito, hindi nila kailanman matataguan at matatakasan ang hustisya. Hindi habambuhay na nasa kapangyarihan ang kanilang kinakapitan o mga pilit nilang pinagtatakpan," she said.

"Sa ginagawa nila, pinapalalim lang nila ang hukay ng kanilang pananagutan. Sa laki ng pandarambong na ginawa nila, sa panahon pa ng pandemya, hindi basta-basta makakalimutan o matatabunan ang kanilang mga kabulastugan!" she added.