Mago turns emotional, says Senate probe ‘extremely traumatic’

MANILA, Philippines —  After being questioned at the Senate over the alleged questionable procurements made by the government, Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp. executive Krizle Grace Mago said that the inquiry conducted by the upper chamber was “extremely traumatic.”

Speaking before the House committee on good government and public accountability on Monday, Mago said that the past two months of investigation on the deals between the government and Pharmally “have been particularly difficult” for her.

“While testifying before the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee’s 6th public hearing on September 13, 2021, I was questioned about the specifics of the first contract with PS-DBM. It was extremely traumatic for me to be accused of lying and threatened with contempt,” a teary-eyed Mago said.

“And true to their threat, they already arrested one of our executives,” she added.

Mago said she was “perplexed on how I could be perceived as a liar when I was simply answering questions directly based on the information that was reflected in our records.”

In particular, Mago cited a remark made by Senator Richard Gordon, who said that Pharmally’s delivery of 500,000 pieces of face masks on the same day the Department of Budget and Management-Procurement Service (DBM-PS) emailed a request for quotation (RFQ) for the purchase of the items was like “Grab” services.

“I recognize that each of us is entitled to our own interpretation and reaction to each revelation made during the hearings. And, while I agree that the delivery prior to the issuance of a Purchase Order was unusual, we should not overlook the fact that it occurred during an unprecedented period of time,” Mago said.

Moreover, Mago said that she tested positive for COVID-19 during the series of investigations.

“Additionally, the overwhelming pressure and the intense scrutiny of the investigations have had a detrimental effect on my mental health,” Mago said.

“Over and above these, my personal mobile phone number and address were also revealed publicly. This violated my right to privacy as a private citizen and also resulted in unwanted harassment,” she added.

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