Drilon: Mystery backer of Lao, Pharmally ‘missing link’ in PS-DBM, DOH fiasco

Senate Minority Leader Frank Drilon said the mystery backer of former head of the Procurement Service of the Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM) Lloyd Christopher Lao and the Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corporation is the “missing link” that will connect the dots in the corruption scandal that involved the procurement of Covid-19 medical supplies.

“The challenge now is to be able to identify that backer, because that backer is the missing link that will connect the dots in this controversy,” he said on Monday.

“We see a pattern of corruption that was perpetrated by Lao and his cohorts. It cannot be done by Lao alone. Kaya mayroon siyang pinagtatakpan at iyon ang dapat nating alamin kung sino,” Drilon said.

Drilon said the backer is an important piece of the puzzle “in order for us and the Filipino people to find out the truth in this massive corruption of public funds meant to help our fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.”

“Sino ba yung backer ni Lao? Sino ba yung backer ng Pharmally? Huwag n’yo nang itago dahil lalabas din ang katotohanan,” Drilon said as he pressed Lao and Pharmally to reveal their backer and the names of officials who are linked to alleged overpricing of several medical supplies.

As early as September last year and even before the Commission of Audit released its report, Drilon had already flagged the overpricing of supplies that PS-DBM bought from Pharmally.

In 2020, Drilon exposed and questioned why PS-DBM bought 2,000 units of Covid-19 test kits from Pharmally for P344,000 or for a total of P688 million when it could be bought at P240,000 per kit. Drilon said the purchase is overpriced by P208 million.

The minority leader had earlier suspected of a well-planned plot to plunder funds through the PS-DBM.

Drilon said the “circumstantial evidence would show patterns of corruption.”

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Source: Latest Politics News Today (Politics.com.ph)