MANILA, Philippines —Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff Gen. Felimon Santos Jr. may be held for treason and for flouting the antigraft law when he sought the help of the Chinese Embassy to buy an unregistered medicine for the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) for his “close friends,” detained Sen. Leila de Lima said on Wednesday.
In a “personal” letter, Santos sought the help of the Chinese ambassador to the Philippines to secure for his friends Carrimycin tablets, which he said helped him recover from COVID-19.
The drug is yet to be approved by the Food and Drugs Administration. De Lima said the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act prohibited the “solicitation of personal favors by public officials.”
She added that the “dispensation of medicine by a nonlicensed individual is illegal practice of medicine in violation of the Medical Act.”
De Lima also pointed out the conflict of interest in the incident, with Santos expected to safeguard Philippine interest in the West Philippine Sea.
“We are in the middle of a territorial tension against China and (we) need assurance that the integrity and loyalty of our chief of staff is beyond question,” she said.
—MARLON RAMOS