Sotto expresses disbelief on Pharmally exec Ong receiving death threats

September 16, 2021 05:52 PM

Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto III said Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corporation official Linconn Ong is already on house arrest after testing positive for COVID.

“Ngayon lang ako nakarinig ng death threat pag hindi nagsinungaling! Usually para hwag magsabi ng totoo. Stupid ha!”

Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto III announced that he does not believe Pharmally director Linconn Ong’s claims that he received death threats for testifying in the Senate investigation into “overpriced” COVID supplies procured by the Department of Health (DOH).   

According to the Senate chief, however, Ong has already been served his arrest warrant despite being at home after he tested positive for COVID. 

Sotto told reporters, "Warrant for Ong was served but he was kept in his house because he is positive for COVID-19.” 

The Senate’s Blue Ribbon Committee hearing continued last Monday on the topic of the P10 billion worth of contracts won by Pharmally from the government, wherein Ong was only virtually present. 

He claimed he had received numerous text messages threatening his life and his family’s if he does not admit his alleged ties to the “chief executive”. Ong read the texts containing death threats out loud during the session. 

Sotto reacted to the claim on his Twitter account, shortly after, “Ngayon lang ako nakarinig ng death threat pag hindi nagsinungaling! Usually para hwag magsabi ng totoo. Stupid ha!”

(I’ve only now heard of a death threat given to a person who does not lie. Usually, they threaten you to not say the truth. It’s stupid!)

“If he does not lie they will kill him, if he lies…. Ano daw? (What did he mean?) Stupid threat!” the Senate chief added.

The Senate inquiry was organized after the Commission on Audit tagged the DOH for its deposit of P42 billion to the Procurement Service of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to purchase face masks and face shields at the beginning of the COVID pandemic last year.

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Senate President Vicente Tito Sotto III 18th Congress of the Philippines Senate of the Philippines Senate Blue Ribbon Committee Commission on Audit Department of Health face shield Linconn Ong Pharmally