Former Sen. Richard Gordon
“I wish to thank the Office of the Ombudsman for this development,” said the former fiery Chairman of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee. “It affirms my belief that, despite many setbacks, there still is justice in the Philippines, he added”. Gordon also expressed his gratefulness to the entire team of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee headed by Director General Atty. Rudy Quimbo.
Gordon, former Chairman of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, led the investigation against former head of the Procurement Service-Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM) Lloyd Christopher Lao and former procurement director and current Overall Deputy Ombudsman Warren Rex Liong who awarded multi-billion peso contracts for the supply of medical equipment (face masks, face shields, PPEs and RT-PCR test kits) despite Pharmally’s puny paid-up capital of Php625,000.00.
Gordon questioned how the Duterte administration could award such big contracts to Pharmally which had no track record with government. “Clearly, the award by Lao and Liong were rigged in favor of an undercapitalized company formed only in 2019 and with no past contracts with the government, and no big contracts with the private sector either,” Gordon stressed.
He said that Lin Weixiong evaded testifying before the Senate. “He (Lin) went into hiding, while his wife, Rose Nono Lin, enjoyed the fruits of their plunder by living in Forbes Park as a neighbor of Michael Yang (putative financier of the anomalous contracts), and riding in luxury cars like the Dargani siblings”, Gordon added. He was referring to Mohit and Twinkle Dargani who tried to flee, but were apprehended by Senate personnel, from Davao International Airport during the height of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee investigation.
Gordon expressed the hope that the Ombudsman’s investigation will go deeper still, and that it will unravel further evidence that will even prove plunder. He said that there are higher ups in the Duterte administration involved who tried to protect and prevent the Senate’s investigation. “How could Lin Weixiong amass all that wealth without the help of key people in the Duterte administration aside from Lao and Liong?” Gordon pondered. “There was definitely a conspiracy which led to the highest levels of government”, he said.
Gordon lamented how he was subjected to vicious attacks in the media which eventually cost him his seat in the Senate. “We were harassed, insulted, persecuted and even threatened with death by some sectors, yet we chose to adhere to principles and the rule of law”, Gordon said.
“We will never back down from fighting corruption despite the risks to my life because ultimately it is the people who will suffer and have suffered”, Gordon said, while quipping “Takot man ako, pero hindi ako duwag. Lagi kong ipaglalaban ang hustisya para sa Pilipino”.
