PHARMALLY OFFICIAL ATTENDS SENATE HEARING: Pharmally Prescribed drugs Company Director Lincoln Ong attends the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee listening to Tuesday, October 5, 2021, on the alleged anomalies within the buy of face masks, face shields and private protecting gear. Ong was cited in contempt and has been held in Senate since September 21 for “being evasive.” (Picture from Voltaire F. Domingo/Senate PRIB)
MANILA, Philippines — Senate had dedicated grave abuse of discretion when it cited in contempt and ordered the arrest of Pharmally executives Lincoln Ong and Michael Yao Hung Ming, Supreme Court docket declared.
Senate beforehand cited Ong and Yao in contempt for allegedly giving obscure and evasive solutions to questions relating to Pharmally’s contract with authorities to buy COVID-19 medical provides.
Of their separate petitions submitted to the Excessive Court docket after the Senate probe, each stated their constitutional proper to due course of was violated.
Ong and Yao stated Senate had encroached into the contempt energy of the judiciary.
In addition they referred to as on SC to declare as unconstitutional the Senate guidelines.
SC, in its choice promulgated March 28, 2023, said the order of arrest and contempt case in opposition to the 2 executives violated their rights to due course of.
The SC choice was acquired by the events in November.
“The Committee’s grave abuse of discretion lay in its precipitate act of citing petitioners Ong and Yang in contempt and ordering their arrests with out giving them the chance to be heard,” SC stated.
The choice took observe of the statement of Senior Affiliate Justice Marvic Leonen, who stated that “even inconsistent solutions had been equated by the Committee with ‘testifying evasively.’”
“Whether or not a witness genuinely didn’t know or didn’t recall the reply, or was evasive in answering a query is essentially a matter of judgment or opinion….” it stated.
“This willpower requires “an evaluation of the totality of the proof offered to find out whether or not a witness speaks in truth or merely making an attempt to evade answering the query immediately,” learn the choice quoting Leonen’s statement.
SC Affiliate Justice Henry Inting wrote the decision.
The ruling additionally talked about Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo’s level that given the broad definition of “giving false and evasive testimony,” the witnesses should at the very least be given an opportunity to clarify why their testimony isn’t false or evasive.
Whereas the justices agreed the precise to due strategy of the 2 petitioners had been violated, SC didn’t agree with the petitioners’ accusation that Senate had supposedly encroached on the contempt energy of the judiciary.
“The Legislative’s energy of contempt is inherent and arises by implication,” stated the Excessive Tribunal.
“This coercive course of is important to the Legislature’s discharge of its features… to legislate properly or successfully as a result of they’ve the ability to compel the supply of data needed in shaping laws,” the decision defined.
SC additionally famous Senate guidelines can’t be declared unconstitutional because it has complied with the requirement set below the Structure that the foundations, together with its modification, ought to be made recognized to the general public by way of publication.
In the meantime, Lawyer Ferdinand Topacio, counsel for one of many Pharmally executives, thanked SC for “actually being the final and most steadfast bastion of justice and the rule of legislation in our nation.”
“The choice, unanimous as it’s, is a good step ahead in curbing the abuses being foisted upon some useful resource individuals who’re being compelled to testify in Senate proceedings in violation of their basic rights,” he stated.