The government bought millions of expired and substandard face shields for healthcare professionals from a private company that was awarded more than P8 billion in contracts, a senator said on Friday.
“Already disadvantaged in benefits, and now our healthcare workers are also disadvantaged in their protective equipment,” Senator Ana Theresia N. Hontiveros-Baraquel in Filipino in a statement. “There is no grace within this greed.”
During a hearing, the senator showed a recorded video of a Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp. warehouse worker who testified that the certificates for 2 million face shields that expired last year had been replaced with new certificates dated 2021.
The worker said he got an order from Krizel Grace U. Mago, regulatory affairs head at the company to rebadge the face shields.
Ms. Mago admitted the practice, saying it had the blessing of the company management particularly Pharmally Treasurer Mohit Dargani.
The treasurer denied the allegation at the hearing. “I did not give that instruction, neither do I know that warehouse employee,” he told senators.
Senators urged Ms. Mago to divulge other dubious transactions at her company in exchange for her protection. — Alyssa Nicole O. Tan