THE Blue Ribbon committee yesterday ordered the arrest of Rose Nono Lin, a stockholder of a company connected with Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp., and four others for their repeated absence in the committee hearings.
Lin is running as representative of the fifth district of Quezon City.
The arrest order was issued by Sen. Richard Gordon, chair of the Blue Ribbon that has been investigating the grant by government of billions worth of contracts for pandemic supplies to Pharmally which had a paid-up capital of only P625,000.
The committee last year arrested Pharmally executives Linconn Ong, Mohit Dargani, and his sister Twinkle for refusing to hand over the company’s financial documents. Twinkle, however, was released early this month for humanitarian reasons. Ong and Mohit remain detained at the Pasay City jail.
The committee started its investigation on August 18 last year and held its 18th hearing yesterday.
Aside from Lin, also ordered arrested after they were cited in contempt were Dennis Manalastas, Gerald Cruz, Jayson Uson, and Sophia Custodio.
According to the panel, Uson is president of Filipinas 168 Shopping Mall with interests in the Yangtze Group Trade and DCLA Plaza which reportedly have links to Michael Yang, a former economic adviser of President Duterte.
Cruz is a stockholder of Filipinas 168 Shopping Mall, who also has links to the Yangtze Group Trade and the DCLA Plaza.
Uson and Cruz are allegedly accomplices in the Pharmally deal.
Manalastas is being sought to shed light on the issue of purchase of test kits by the Procurement Service of the Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM) as his name came out in a number of communications between PS-DBM and BGI Schenzen as a representative of Philippine United Technic Corporation.
Custodio, girlfriend of Pharmally treasurer Mohit Dargani, is also being invited after it was learned that her company, Business Beyond Limits OPC which was incorporated only in June 2020, was also able to corner a P10-million deal in June 2021 to supply two million face shields to the Department of Health.
Former PS-DBM chief Lloyd Christopher Lao has a standing warrant of arrest from the committee for his continued refusal to cooperate with the investigation. He appealed to the panel to reconsider his arrest warrant but Gordon declined.
Noel Quimbo, Blue Ribbon panel director general, said Lin’s legal counsel sent a letter hours before the committee started with its 18th hearing yesterday, stating that Lin has tested positive for COVID-19 based on medical certificate issued January 26.
Quimbo said Lin also had other medical complaints which needed doctors’ attention, but the committee said she was seen doing the rounds in Quezon City’s fifth district and wooing voters days prior to yesterday’s hearing.
Lin, a corporate treasurer and incorporator of Pharmally Biologicals, is the wife of Chinese businessman Lin Wei Xiong who allegedly has ties with Davao-based trader Michael Yang who senators suspect to be Pharmally’s financier.
During the panel’s hearing last November, Lin caught the senators’ attention after she admitted being surprised at finding a new luxury car in her garage. She has been attending past hearings but was absent in recent investigations.
Gordon said the arrest order on the five is not a “punishment.”
“This is asserting and requiring the people to respect the powers of the Senate… We do not lock up people to punish them. They are locked up because they refuse to accept the invitation to appear in a virtual manner that should help solve the problems of this country,” Gordon said.
Senate minority leader Franklin Drilon said, “I concur with the observations that these witnesses have shown disrespect to the process of the committee.”
Accountant Raymond Abrea told the committee that Pharmally has a tax deficiency of P6.3 billion in undeclared purchases, undeclared sales, and disallowed VATable purchases.
Abrea said this was the finding of the Bureau of Internal Revenue which cross-matched financial statements submitted by Pharmally to the Blue Ribbon committee.
Abrea said the BIR summary of audit findings also showed that those involved in the Pharmally controversy also made false entries, records or reports “using falsified or fake accountable forms.”
He identified the persons liable from Pharmally as Huang Tzu Yen, the company president; Mohit Dargani, Linconn Ong (Pharmally director), Twinkle Dargani (Pharmally president), Justin Garado (2020 auditor), Iluminada Sebial (outsourced bookkeeper), and Jeff Mariano.
For Pai Hong Realty Group, which also had transactions with Pharmally, are Yuen Pak Ng, Jayson Uson, Rose Nono Lin, Edwin Tan Cigres, Mary Ann Siy Sy, Evangeline Uy Tan, Wen Zai Li, all are board of directors; and Basildes Mandawe Jr. (auditor).
For Pai Li Holdings which also had dealt with Pharmally, are Rose Nono Lin, Jayson Uson, Jackson Lao, Yuqin Zheng, Hongjiang Yang, Rovic Nono Alcon, Hong Ming Yang, Lin Wei Xiong, Yang Hong Ming (Michael Yang), all board of directors; and Felomino Belnario (auditor).
