Michael Yang to attend Senate probe; counsel wants interpreter

Michael Yang —MALACANANG FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — Former presidential economic adviser Michael Yang will attend succeeding Senate hearings on the government’s use of the COVID-19 budget, including the reported procurement of overpriced supplies.

This was disclosed Thursday by Yang’s counsel in a letter addressed to Senate President Vicente Sotto III and Senate Blue Ribbon Committee chair Richard Gordon.

“This is to confirm the attendance of our client, Mr. Michael Yang, in all hearings of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee… from September 10, 2021, until the same is terminated,” Atty. Raymond Parsifal Fortun said in the letter.

Fortun likewise requester for an interpreter for Yang, saying the latter has “difficulty expressing himself in English and Filipino, and prefers to answer the questions of the Honorable Committee in his native language of Mandarin.”

“With your Honors’ kind indulgence, in order to aid in communication, may we ask that an interpreter be made available in all hearings who can translate the Senators’ questions to Mandarin and later translate Mr. Yang’s responses thereto to English,” Fortun said.

“We also pray that Mr/ Yang’s own interpreter be allowed by his side and be a ‘silent’ participant in the hearings in the event that the translation would require amendment or correction,” Fortun added.

The Senate earlier moved to issue a warrant of arrest against Yang following his no-show during Tuesday’s hearing.

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 (DBM-PS) on behalf of the Department of Health in 2020.

Among the suppliers 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.

Yang was linked to the controversial procurement after a 2017 video showed him introducing Pharmally officials to President Rodrigo Duterte in Davao City.