'Spoken like a true troll,' says Aquino ally

MANILA (UPDATED) — As the Senate looked into government's purchase of allegedly overpriced COVID-19 safety gear, Malacañang said on Wednesday the previous Aquino administration bought costlier personal protective equipment (PPEs).

Senators are looking into some P8.68 billion worth of deals for pandemic response that Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp bagged last year. The deals included PPE allegedly overpriced at P1,700 per set.

"Overpriced ba raw po ito? Hindi po kasi noong mga panahong 'yon, biglang lahat ng bansa ay naghahanap ng PPEs," said Palace spokesman Harry Roque.

He said the Aquino administration bought PPEs worth P3,500 to P3,800 in 2015 and 2016. He did not say for what.

Roque said Sen. Franklin Drilon, who belongs to the late President Benigno Aquino III's political party, should explain the procurement.

Drilon was a senator during the Aquino administration, and hence, did not belong to the executive branch.

"Meron po talagang kumita, hindi po sa administrasyon na ito," Roque said in a press briefing.

(Somebody profited, but not in this administration.)

Video courtesy of PTV

A copy of the purchase order dated June 23, 2016 obtained by ABS-CBN News showed that the PPEs bought by the DOH during the Aquino administration is a set composed of goggles, gloves, plastic shoe cover, coverall, surgical gown, N95 and surgical masks and head cap. It was bought at P3,864 per set.

It is also indicated in the document that the said PPE sets were procured for the use of "school-based health stations/BHSs under the Health Facility Enhancement Program Management Office (HFEPMO)".

The DOH also procured a similar set of PPEs in 2015 worth P3,500 per set for the use of the Disease Prevention and Control Bureau.

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Drilon said Roque's remarks were "spoken like a true troll."

"It is very unmanly and desperate of Roque to even mention my name. It is very malicious and it is a futile attempt to divert attention away from this organized plunder," he said in a statement.

The senator dared Roque to identify the "backer" of Pharmally and Lloyd Christopher Lao, who was head of the budget department's procurement service when it awarded the contracts to the firm.

President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday said Lao was part of his campaign team and helped him with legal matters before being appointed to government.

• Duterte cites 'utang na loob' to ex-DBM exec facing Senate probe

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Meanwhile, Duterte's former economic adviser Michael Yang reportedly has ties to Pharmally, officials of which he introduced to the President in 2017, as seen in a Malacañang video.

"Michael Yang has been in business here in the Philippines for 20 years. Nag-umpisa 'yan sa Davao...Akala ko ba we are inviting investors?" Duterte said in defense of Yang on Monday.

(He started in Davao...I thought we were inviting investors?)

• What is Pharmally Pharmaceuticals? Who controls it?
• Tax expert backs probe into Pharmally, says DBM contracts ‘suspicious’

Malacañang denied Yang influenced the government transaction with Pharmally.

"Ultimately, it's the price and the specification that matters. Sa presyo po ang labanan, kahit sino ka man," said Roque.

(The fight was in terms of price, whoever you are.)

• Gov't denies making money from pandemic as Senate probes 'overpriced' supplies