Press Release
September 20, 2021

De Lima to AMLC: Freeze assets of Yang, Lao, Pharmally Directors

Opposition Senator Leila M. de Lima urged the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) to freeze the assets of Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp. executives whom she called "soulless monsters" following revelations in an ongoing Senate probe that they purchased luxury cars after cornering multibillion-peso worth of government contracts.

De Lima, Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Social Justice, Welfare and Rural Development, said the freezing of the assets of Pharmally Directors should be done urgently "before they all fly away to the Carribean with their plundered loot."

"Like everyone else, I was shocked by the parade of Lamborghinis, Porsches, and Lexuses owned by the directors of Pharmally who apparently went wild on a luxury car buying-spree after receiving their 8.7 billion windfall from selling overpriced PPEs, masks, and face shields to the government. Kulang na lang yung Maserati ni ex-DBM Usec. Lloyd Christopher Lao kumpleto na sana," she said.

"The AMLC should immediately apply for a freeze order and initiate civil forfeiture proceedings against these shameless profiteers. Kahit huwag muna si Duterte. Saka na yung kalabaw. Kahit hanggang sa kanyang BFF na si Michael Yang muna," she added.

De Lima made the call after Sen. Richard Gordon, Chairperson of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, revealed in a hearing last Sept. 17 that Pharmally executives Linconn Ong, Mohit Dargani and his sister Twinkle Dargani had at least 4 luxury vehicles registered under their names less than a year after the transactions.

Gordon reportedly cited documents sourced from the Land Transportation Office showing that the luxury cars were registered in 2020 and early 2021, or months after the firm started winning contracts from the government.

"Alam naman nating laway lang ang puhunan ng mga ito, lalo na ang laway ni Michael Yang na tila ba napakatamis para kay Duterte at siya pa ang tumatayong abogado para sa kanila. Alam naman nating si Michael Yang lang at ang kanyang koneksyon kay Duterte ang dahilan kung bakit nakorner ng mga ito ang bilyon-bilyon na kontrata sa gobyerno," said De Lima.

De Lima, a social justice and human rights champion, said the recent revelations in the probe made it clear where the funds for the Bayanihan Law 2 went, stressing that the money used to purchase luxury vehicles "are the people's money."

"Ginamit na pambili ng mga Porsche at Lamborghini, habang namamatay sa gutom at COVID ang ating mga kababayan."

"Napakahalimaw nga naman talaga ng mga Pharmally directors na ito ano po? Mga walang kaluluwa, pati na iyong kanilang mga kasabwat sa gobyerno katulad ni Usec. Lao, ang nasa gitna sa lahat ng transaksyong ito na si Michael Yang, at ang kanilang kalabaw na tinutuntungan sa Malacañang, walang iba kung hindi si Duterte," she said.

"That Lamborghini, that Porsche, that Lexus, are the people's money. That is our money. And these greedy monsters have no conscience whatsoever using our money to feed their boundless sociopathic need for material wealth at the expense of dying Filipinos in the midst of the COVID-19 catastrophe. They deserve to burn in hell," she added.

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