Leila de Lima seeks Senate Ethics probe of Duterte over Pharmally scandal

Senator Leila de Lima is urging the Senate Ethics Committee to investigate former President Rodrigo Duterte over allegations of corruption linked to the Pharmally scandal.

Gordon accused Duterte of masterminding the scam and noted that Duterte never complained about anomalies in procurement despite being aware of them.

The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee's report from 2021 found that Duterte betrayed public trust regarding the anomalous procurement deal but did not prosper due to lack of support among committee members.

Senator Risa Hontiveros expressed hope that former health chief Francisco Duque III could have provided new evidence to reopen the investigation, but Duque later retracted his earlier statements.

Hontiveros criticized Duque for retracting his statement and emphasized that other government bodies are still pursuing accountability in the case.