Quezon City mayoral candidate Mike Defensor, in a promotional video, defended Rose Nono Lin of Pharmally Biological and said Lin's company is different from the one being investigated in the Senate.
MANILA—Pharmally Biological's Rose Nono Lin is running for a congressional seat as part of Mike Defensor's slate, posters from the Quezon City mayoral candidate's camp showed.
Lin is supposedly a stockholder at Pharmally Biological, allegedly the sister company of Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp., senators have said.
Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp. is being investigated by the Senate after it cornered some 11 billion in contracts with the Department of Budget and Management's Procurement Service (PS-DBM) up to this year, despite having only P625,000 in capital.
Photos and videos released by Malayang Quezon City, a political group that is backing Defensor's mayoral bid, showed Lin is part of his slate.
She is seeking to represent the city's 5th district.
In a statement, the businesswoman countered criticisms about her background and entry into politics.
“Nakarating po sa akin, sa pamamagitan ng aking mga tagasuporta, ang malisyosong pagpapakalat ng mga akusasyon at maling impormasyon laban sa inyong lingkod, sa kabila ng aking pagpupursiging maging maayos, malinis, at marangal ang ating pangangampanya,” Lin said on a Facebook post.
She earlier denied having a hand in Pharmally Pharmaceutical’s operation or having a share in this company.
“Hindi rin po ako direktor, opisyal o shareholder po nito. Wala rin po akong kontrata na pinasok sa gobynero para mag-supply ng PPE. Ako po ay karaniwang mamamayan lamang. Lahat ng akusasyon sa akin at sa aking pamilya ay puro haka-haka lamang,” she said.
Defensor, in a promotional video, defended Lin and said her company is different from the one being investigated in the Senate.
"Sabi nila may issue ng Pharmally . . . Iba ang kumpanya ni ate Rose Lin na Pharmally na iniimbestigahan ng Senado at kumpanya na kinakasakupan ni ate Rose Lin," Defensor said.
(Rose Lin's Pharmally is different from the one being investigated by the Senate.)
"Ang Quezon City government ang unang tumanggap ng ayuda mula sa Pharmally. Walang graft and corruption sa isang private sector individual."
(The Quezon City government has accepted the aid provided by Pharmally. There is no graft and corruption in a private individual.)
A House of Representatives panel earlier launched a separate probe on the matter. Their committee ruled out overpricing goods, but said that the embattled firm is not yet off the hook.
During Senate hearings, Lin denied any connection with Pharmally Pharmaceutical.
Pharmally Biological is not a sister company of Pharmally Pharmaceutical, she said.
She also denied having a hand at Pharmally Pharmaceutical’s operation or having a stake in the company.
Lin also denied that Michael Yang, a former presidential economic adviser, is a chairman of Philippine Full Win, where she sits as its treasurer. Philippine Full Win is being investigated, too, for its links to Pharmally Pharmaceutical.
Pharmally chairperson Huang Tzu Yen said Pharmally Biological Company is "defunct."