MANILA -- Sen. Richard Gordon on Thursday stood by the veracity of the committee report he penned after their investigation on the transactions between Pharmally Pharmaceutical and the government during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The lawmaker, whose term ends on June 30, said he is even ready to face any charges that may be initiated by the controversial company's executives.

• Pharmally probe report kinulang ng pirma, inabutan ng pagtatapos ng Senate session

“I don’t have any regret… I’m happy. When you’re at peace with yourself for doing the right thing, how can you be unhappy? I did my part,” said Gordon, who chaired the Senate Blue Ribbon committee that investigated Pharmally for alleged overpricing and purportedly being favored by the government.

“They can retaliate. I did my duty eh. I cannot be answerable. Because wala namang personal dyan. At saka, performance of duty yan eh,” he added.

The Senate under the 18th Congress ended its session Wednesday night with only nine senators signing the committee's report on Pharmally. Gordon will no longer be part of the 19th Congress after failing to make it to the Magic 12 in the Halalan 2022 senatorial race.

• PH senators fail to tackle Pharmally probe report on last session day

The veteran politician said he will just leave the Pharmally issue to the “conscience” of his colleagues who opted not to sign his committee's report.

“There is so much a ballyhoo. Why create a Blue Ribbon Committee if the Senate, members will not vote? You know, they could have said, I disagree, or I will amend?” he pointed out.

In an earlier interview, both Senators Juan Miguel Zubiri and Sherwin Gatchalian explained that they refused to sign Gordon’s Pharmally report because of the inclusion of President Rodrigo Duterte’s name. According to them, Duterte's supposed link to the mess is only supported by “circumstantial evidence.”

The two senators said they would sign the report only if Gordon acceded to their request to remove the President’s name.

Gordon refused and also countered Zubiri and Gatchalian's argument.

“Why me? The committee was the one. Nine other senators agreed to that. The others were no comment because they were not active,” he said.

Nonetheless, it is now up to the Office of the Ombudsman and the Department of Justice to act on the issue, said Gordon.

He also said he will just leave it up to the next batch of congressmen and senators to decide whether or not the investigation on Pharmally will be revived.

“My wish for the country is, it should really be investigated formally now as a criminal prosecution… I don’t think nasayang 'yan. Nalaman ng tao,” he said.

Meanwhile, Gordon said the detention of Pharmally executives Linconn Ong and Mohit Dargani at the Pasay City Jail could have been extended until noon of June 30 if only the Senate leadership looked at the provisions of the 1987 Constitution.

The two were released Thursday morning after Senate President Vicente Sotto III signed the release order.

• Sotto signs release order for Pharmally executives
• 2 Pharmally executives freed from Pasay jail

“Pero there’s no disagreement. Bahala sila. I’m done. Tapos na ako… Sila na lang,” Gordon said about the detention issue.

Asked if he still feels that Dargani and Ong’s release should really commence on June 30, Gordon said: “Dapat.”

Now that Dargani and Ong are free again, Gordon expressed his readiness to face them in court after their lawyer warned of charges against those who allegedly wronged them.

Gordon has said that the probe on Pharmally stemmed from his dialogue with health workers who complained about the lack of benefits while they battle the COVID-19 pandemic on the frontlines.

He said government funds wasted on anomalous transactions could have been allotted to medical frontliners.

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