MANILA, Philippines — The president of Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp. told senators on Tuesday that he has been estranged from his father, who sits as chairman of Pharmally’s Taiwan-based parent company, since early 2020.
Appearing at the Senate blue ribbon committee hearing on Tuesday, Huang Tzu Yen was asked the whereabouts of his father, Huang Wen Lie, chairman of Pharmally International Holding Co. Ltd.
“I do not know where my father is…we have been estranged since early 2020. I have been estranged from him since early 2020. I have not seen him,” the younger Huang said.
“He’s disappeared,” he added.
Both Huangs, Senator Risa Hontiveros earlier said, have supposed arrest warrants in Taiwan.
‘No subpoena yet’
The younger Huang, according to Hontiveros, is supposedly “wanted for stock manipulation” while his father is “wanted” in Taiwan for alleged securities fraud, stock manipulation, and embezzlement.
Huang Tzu Yen, official of the Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp., attends Senate blue ribbon committee probe on Tuesday, Sept. 7, 2021. Screengrab
Asked about this during the hearing, the younger Huang said he has yet to receive a formal subpoena from Taiwanese authorities.
“I have only received news of this supposed warrant of arrest from my online searches. I have contacted attorneys with understanding of this since June. I have not received a reply as of today,” Huang said.
“I was only made aware of this…in March 2021. I am waiting for a formal subpoena to be issued to me, in relation to this and I have not received any,” he added.
According to him, he has already undertaken efforts to contact Taiwanese authorities through formal channels.
“I have not received any advice from the Taiwanese authorities,” Huang added.
Huang is currently in Singapore and attending the Senate blue ribbon committee probe online.
The Senate blue ribbon committee is currently investigating the procurement of “overpriced” personal protective equipment (PPE), face masks and shields made by the Department of Budget and Management-Procurement Service on behalf of the Department of Health.
The company at the center of the probe is Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp., which bagged government contracts worth over P8.6 billion in 2020 despite being only several months old and having just P625,000 in paid-up capital.