33 DOH, DBM officials suspended over Pharmally fiasco
The Office of the Ombudsman has suspended for a period of six months 33 officials from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and Department of Health (DOH) due to their involvement in allegedly irregular transactions with controversial government supplier Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp. for COVID-19 test kits in 2020 and 2021.
In a March 20 order issued by Ombudsman Samuel Martires, among the official suspended was Overall Deputy Ombudsman Warren Rex Liong, former procurement group director of the Procurement Service of the DBM (PS-DBM).
Out of the 32 others, 22 were from PS-DBM including Christine Marie L. Suntay, Fatimah Amsha A. Peñaflor, Joshua S. Laure, Earvin Jay I. Alparaque, Julius M. Santos, Paul Jasper V. de Guzman, Dickson T. Panti, Karen Anne Requintina, Rodevie Cruz, Webster Laureñana, Sharon Baile, Gerelyn F. Vergara, Abelardo Gonzales, Jez Charlemagne Arago, Nicole John Cabueños, Ray-ann V. Sorilla, Chamel Fiji C. Melo, Allan Raul M. Catalan, Mervin Ian D. Tanquintic, Jorge L. Mendoza III, Jasonmer L. Uayan and August M. Ylangan.
DOH officials who were also suspended include then-Assistant Secretary Nestor Santiago, Jr., procurement service director Crispinita Valdez, as well as Research Institute for Tropical Medicine officials Amado Tandoc, Lei Lanna Dancel, Dave Tangcalagan, Jhobert Bernal, Kenneth Aristotle Punzalan, Rose Marasigan and Maria Carmela Reyes.
Resigned DBM Undersecretary Lloyd Christopher Lao has also been suspended.
The suspension order stemmed from an administrative case filed against them “for grave misconduct, gross neglect of duty, serious dishonesty, and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service” over three deals with Pharmally.
“The gravity of these offenses coupled with the seriousness of their participation would warrant removal from the service,” the Ombudsman said.
Among the transactions mentioned in the order of the Ombudsman were for a combined 51,400 units of RT-PCR test kits, with costs totaling over ₱4 billion. Two deals were signed in April 2020 while one was dated June that year.
In February 2022, the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, led by then-Senator Richard Gordon, recommended graft, corruption, and plunder charges against Pharmally executives and several public officials, including Lao and former Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, for transferring more than ₱41 billion from the DOH’s COVID-19 fund to the PS-DBM.
This included the P8.6 billion PS-DBM used for purchasing face masks, face shields, and personal protective equipment (PPEs) from Pharmally Pharmaceuticals Corp., which only had P625,000 in paid-up capital when it entered into government transactions.
