Senate panel cites Rose Nono-Lin, 4 others for contempt

Facade of the Senate building in Pasay City. (Philippine Daily Inquirer file photo)

MANILA, Philippines — The Senate blue ribbon committee on Thursday cited for contempt five people linked to the controversy involving Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp.

The panel made the move after Rose Nono-Lin, Gerald Cruz, Jayson Uson, Sophia Custodio, and Dennis Manalastas failed to attend the panel hearings, which has been conducting an inquiry on the government’s procurement of COVID-19 supplies in 2020.

“Kaya kung hindi din sisipot si Nono-Lin, ang gusto ko ay mag-file tayo ng motion to arrest at papuntahin ‘yan because she refuses to attend the hearing here,” said committee chair Senator Richard Gordon after the Pharmally Biological Company’s chief financial officer tested positive for COVID-19.

READ: Rose Nono-Lin absent during Senate hearing due to COVID-19

(If Nono-Lin would not attend the hearings, I would like to file a motion to arrest and have her here because she refuses to participate in the hearing.)

READ: Senate tries to serve subpoena to Pharmally exec, but address was wrong

Pharmally Biological Company used to be the parent company of Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp.

“We just had a motion to declare them in contempt. I believe Senator [Franklin] Drilon is going to second, would you concur as well?” Gordon asked Senator Risa Hontiveros, to which she affirmed.

Drilon likewise seconded the motion, citing the “disrespect” of the witnesses.

“I concur with your observations of the chairman and that indeed these witnesses have shown disrespect to the process of the committee. Appropriate letters have been issued to them, inviting them to appear. We have subpoenas, I assume,” Drilon explained.

“They have totally disregarded the processes of this committee and I second the motion of the chairman to enforce the rules of the blue ribbon committee, and I second the motion to declare these persons in contempt,” he continued.

Meanwhile, Rodolfo Noel Quimbo, director general of the panel’s oversight office management, noted that there is an outstanding arrest order issued to Christopher Lloyd Lao.

Lao is the former chief of the Procurement Service of the Department of Budget and Management who was dragged into the inquiry.

READ: Senate blue ribbon panel cites Lao in contempt for skipping hearings

Based on the Senate’s investigations, Pharmally bagged government deals worth billions of pesos for various medical supplies despite having a paid-up capital of only P625,000.

KGA/abc