Hontiveros’ witness stands by testimony on Pharmally, denies receiving bribe

Sen. Risa Hontiveros. (Screen grab/Senate PRIB)

MANILA, Philippines — The witness of Senator Risa Hontiveros in the ongoing Senate probe into deals made between the government and Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp. stands by his testimony that face shields delivered by the firm had tampered expiry dates, as he denied having received bribes.

“Lahat po yun totoo [All of that is true],” Hontiveros’ witness, a Pharmally warehouse worker hired in August 2021, said during the senator’s online press conference on Thursday, referring to his Senate testimony.

According to the witness, he was the first to reach out to the senator’s office through email.

“Kusang loob ko pong sinabi sainyo. Wala naman pong pagbayad [I made the statement of my own accord. No one paid me],” he added.

Further, the witness pointed out that Pharmally Regulatory Affairs head Krizle Grace Mago confirmed his testimony regarding the tampering of the face shields’ expiry date.

“Inamin na rin naman po ni Ms. Mago kaya talagang ano po ako na totoo po yung sinabi ko [Ms. Mago also admitted to doing it that’s why all that I said are true],” the witness said.

Pharmally, through its lawyer Ferdinand Topacio, presented on Wednesday video footage of another person who worked in the company’s warehouse claiming that a lawyer of Hontiveros, Atty. Jaye Bekema offered the witness money in exchange for fabricated testimony.

“I categorically and absolutely deny bribing the witness into lying. Hindi po ako nanuhol, wala po sa opisina ni Sen. Risa maging si Sen. Risa ang nanuhol,” Bekema said during the online press conference.

(I categorically and absolutely deny bribing the witness into lying. I did not bribe anyone, no one in Sen. Risa’s office bribed anyone.)

“Kahit kailanman hindi kami bumibili ng testimonya, lahat po ng witness ay kusang loob na lumalapit sa amin,” she added.

(Ever since we have never paid for a testimony, all the witnesses we have reached out to us first.)

Bekema further emphasized that the witness executed an affidavit and made his statement under oath.

“Sinabi sa kanya ng mismo ng notary public na siya ay mapaparusahan kung siya ay nagsinungaling. We secured his safety after, as we do all our witnesses,” she said.

(He was informed by the notary public that he will be accountable should he lie.  We secured his safety after, as we do all our witnesses.)

“We have evidence screenshots, photos, and records of conversations, records of text conversations na magpapatunay sa lahat ng sinabi ko [that will prove the things I said],” she added.

Senators have been looking into the government’s transactions with Pharmally, which was awarded over P8.6 billion worth of supply contracts for medical supplies in 2020 despite being only several months old and having just P625,000 in paid-up capital.

Pharmally chairman and president Huang Tzu Yen has previously denied that they were favored in any way in the government’s procurement of medical supplies in 2020, saying the firm has been “unfairly prejudged.”

/MUF