Senate panel taps NBI to help locate Pharmally’s Mago

Krizle Grace Mago —SENATE SCREEN GRAB

MANILA, Philippines — The Senate blue ribbon committee has tapped the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to help locate Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp. executive Krizle Mago, who has been out of reach days after exposing damning revelation against her company.

“We’ve also reached the NBI, asked the NBI to take a look at where she probably is.That is Senate President [Vicente] Sotto’s call and so far wala pa kaming balita [we have yet to receive news about her whereabouts],” Senate blue ribbon committee chair Sen. Richard Gordon told reporters in an online interview.

“I hope that she’s safe. I do so every night in my prayers,” he added.

When asked why the Senate panel is adamant in locating Mago, Gordon said: “Kasi baka patayin e [She may be killed].”

“I’m worried about her,” he added.

“Madami siyang alam [She knows a lot],” the senator also pointed out, citing possible threats to her life because of what she knows.

Gordon added that they have also reached out to nuns at St. Paul University Philippines in Tuguegarao City, Cagayan province—Mago’s alma mater —to help find her.

“I have [sent] personal messages because kinakabahan din ako na baka masaktan yung bata e [I’m also concerned that she may be in harm’s way]. By the way, she is no longer a bata [a child] but still we’re dealing with big money here,” the senator also said.

“Super big money with people that we don’t know exactly the backgrounds [of]  because some of them are from China,” he added.

During Friday’s hearing of the Senate blue ribbon committee, Mago admitted she was instructed to order Pharmally warehouse staff to change production certificates of face shields dated 2020 with new certificates dated 2021.

Her admission comes after Senator Risa Hontiveros presented a video of a supposed warehouse employee, who alleged that “deformed, soiled and substandard” face shields meant for doctors and health care workers are allegedly being supplied by the firm to the government.

The employee also said that they were instructed to switch the production dates for the items.

Following Mago’s “damaging” admission against Pharmally, senators offered to give her protection should she agree to fully cooperate. Mago, while expressing her willingness to cooperate, asked she be given time to decide if she would avail of the protective custody.

Since that hearing, Mago has been out of reach, according to Gordon.

JPV