The House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability on Tuesday asked the Senate to allow Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp. Director Linconn Ong to attend the hearing of the panel next week on the alleged overpricing of medical supplies.
In a letter to Senate Blue Ribbon Committee Chairman Sen. Richard J. Gordon, House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability Chairman Michael Aglipay said the lower chamber has invited resource persons from different government agencies and stakeholder to assist lawmakers in proceeding with their inquiry.
“However, Mr. Ong was cited in contempt by your Honor’s Committee and placed under the custody of the Senate of the Philippines. In this regard, may we respectfully request your Honor’s and that of your Committee the permission to allow Mr. Ong to participate via Zoom Videoconferencing to the hearing of the Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability on October 4, 2021 at 11:00 a.m.,” said Aglipay.
The House is presently conducting its hearing on the motu prorio inquiry regarding the 2020 Commission on Audit report on the Department of Health (DOH) on the utilization of funds transferred to the Procurement Services-Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM) for the procurement of medical supplies and equipment for Covid-19 response.
Meanwhile, the lower chamber also on Tuesday issued a subpoena ad testificandum for Pharmally official Krizle Grace Mago, who revealed that the expiry dates of the face shields were tampered by changing the expiry date from 2020 to 2021.
“You are hereby directed to appear before the Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability of the House of Representatives, to testify under oath relative to the subject matter under inquiry by the Committee on 04 October 2021 [Monday], 11:00 a.m. via Zoom,” said the subpoena.