House of Representatives. INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — If the Senate needs Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp. official Krizle Grace Mago to testify during its hearings, it can inform the House committee on good government and public accountability, according to panel chair and Diwa Rep. Michael Edgar Aglipay.
Aglipay said in a letter addressed to Senator Richard Gordon — chair of the Senate blue ribbon committee doing a probe on the alleged overpriced pandemic supplies — Mago arrived at the House of Representatives on her own will on Friday evening.
This was after Mago went missing for a week, after her damning testimony wherein she admitted changing the expiration dates of face shields supplied to the government.
“In adherence to inter-parliamentary courtesy, may we inform you that Ms. Krizle Grace Mago of Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corporation has been placed under the protective custody of the House of Representatives. Ms. Mago, on her own volition, arrived at the premises of the House of Representatives at exactly 6:30 p.m. this evening,” Aglipay said.
“Should you require her participation in any of your hearings, please communicate with the committee secretariat and we will make the necessary arrangements for it,” he added.
It was earlier revealed that Mago went to the House to seek protection instead of the Senate, which had offered to protect her as early as last Friday.
During the Senate blue ribbon committee hearing last week, a person who claimed to work with Pharmally was presented by Senator Risa Hontiveros. The witness claimed that Mago ordered them to change the expiry dates on the face shields that would be supplied to the government.
Mago went on to admit the allegations, saying she believes Pharmally swindled the government.
READ: Pharmally employee believes firm ‘swindled’ gov’t in delivery of face shields
But after the hearing — when Senate committee staffers were trying to reach Mago — it was revealed that her phone was turned off. The Senate then asked the help of the National Bureau of Investigation in looking for Mago.
READ: Mago ‘incommunicado’ since damning testimony vs Pharmally
READ: Senate panel taps NBI to help locate Pharmally’s Mago
Both chambers of Congress are doing motu proprio investigations on the Commission on Audit (COA) report that showed P67.32 billion worth of deficiencies in the Department of Health (DOH) COVID-19 funds.
Part of that was the P42 billion funds transferred by the DOH to procuring agencies like the Procurement Service of the Department of Budget and Management, which awarded the P8.7 billion supplies contract to Pharmally despite the firm’s small paid-up capital of P625,000.
READ: P8.7-B med supply deals went to tiny company