Pinapaalam ko lang po sa mga mamamayan natin na talagang kung may delay ang may kasalanan po ay ang Pangulo ng Pilipinas, hindi po tayo.
Kung walang haharap na mga opisyales ng ehekutibo, mahihirapan kaming makalakap ng mga datos. Tatagal, at kahit may kahirapan at katagalan, kung talagang walang kooperasyon ang mga kinauukulan ay talagang talo ang tao. May karapatan ang tao [malaman] kung ano ang katiwalian.
~ Sen. Richard Gordon
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Duterte in early October said he signed a memorandum prohibiting Cabinet members from attending the Senate probe on the Pharmally deals because they supposedly do not have the time to participate.
The President also accused the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee of blatant disrespect of resource persons.
Shortly after Duterte’s directive came out, the Philippine Bar Association said the move “upsets our system of checks and balances and transgresses the doctrine of separation of powers among the 3 branches of government.”
Senators on Oct. 6 reeled with the absence of government officials in the executive branch, and focused instead on the Pharmally executives.
The Senate panel is investigating Pharmally after records showed that the budget department’s procurement service awarded billions of pesos worth of government contracts to the company that only had less than a million pesos in paid-up capital.
The government denies there was overpricing and said the deals were above board.
The panel has so far recommended the filing of various charges against Pharmally’s officers, Chinese businessman and former presidential economic adviser Michael Yang, and former budget Undersecretary Christopher Lao, among others, due to the allegedly anomalous transactions.
Source: Gordon blames Duterte for ‘delay’ in Senate probe on pandemic deals, Pharmally