Hontiveros hits ‘pathetic attempt’ to give Pharmally issue ‘alternative narrative’

MANILA, Philippines — Senator Risa Hontiveros on Thursday slammed what she called a “pathetic attempt” to provide an “alternative narrative” to the alleged irregularities in the government’s deal with Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp.

“The public deserves the truth at yun lang ang hinahanap ng Senado at yun lang ang sinusubukan naming sabihin sa publiko. Kaya sorry na lang kay Atty. (Ferdinand) Topacio, napaka-pathetic na attempt yung kanyang alternative narrative na punong-puno, hindi ng katotohanan…The public can smell that a mile away,” Hontiveros said in an online press conference.

(The public deserves the truth and that is what the Senate wants to find out and what we want to tell the public. That’s why, I’m sorry, Atty. Topacio, the attempt to provide an alternative narrative that is devoid of the truth is really pathetic.)

“There is no alternative narrative to the truth. There is only the truth,” she added.

Hontiveros said this after Pharmally, through Topacio, earlier presented a video clip of another warehouse staff claiming the senator’s office had bribed its witness to testify that face shields meant for healthcare workers allegedly had tampered production dates or were made of substandard quality.

This allegation has been denied by Hontiveros, her legislative staff as well as by the witness who stood by his Senate testimony.

“It was the witness who reached out to us. We have an e-mail thread to prove this. Like always, may resibo ako [we have receipts]. We vetted the information of the witness for weeks and obtained independent corroboration of his points,” Hontiveros said in an earlier statement.

She also pointed out that Pharmally Regulatory Affairs head Krizle Mago, in a Senate hearing, admitted to the switching of the face shields’ expiry dates.

“Hindi natin hahayaan ang patuloy na pambababoy ni Atty. Topacio sa katotohanan,” Hontiveros also said.

(We will not allow Atty. Topacio to bastardize the truth.)

INQUIRER.net has reached out to Topacio for his comment on Hontiveros’ statements but has yet to receive a response as of writing.

Topacio, however, in an interview on ABS-CBN News Channel said he respects the assertion that Hontiveros’ witness was the first to reach out to the senator’s office.

“That is their version, we respect that. That is why I am saying we are making no judgments as to the guilt or innocence of any person, as to who between our witness and (Hontiveros’ witness) is lying,” Topacio said.

“That is why our only job here is to evaluate the testimony and to determine whether there is a reasonable ground to the proper forum,” he 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.”

With regard to the “substandard” face shields, the Department of Health earlier said all the face shields delivered to healthcare workers are of good quality.

/MUF