CA upholds charges vs ex-DBM officials in Pharmally scandalMANILA, Philippines — The Court of Appeals (CA) affirmed the ombudsman’s administrative charges filed against four disgraced officials of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) involved in irregularities that came with the purchase of COVID-19 RT-PCR test kits from Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp. Also, former PS-DBM director Christine Marie Suntay and former division chief Augusto Ylagan were charged for gross neglect of duty and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service. The records, as appreciated by the ombudsman, showed Lao permitted the award of contracts worth billions of pesos to an entity grossly incapable of undertaking them. The charges against Liong, Ylagan and Suntay were found with basis, being all able to approve and proceed with Pharmally’s contract despite its insufficiencies, including failure to comply with government specifications for RT-PCR test kits. The same decision also declared that six personnel of the Research Institute of Tropical Medicine included in the charges against the PS-DBM officials could no longer claim back wages following their preventive suspension, despite the ombudsman dismissing the complaints against them.

Source: Philippine Star April 09, 2026 17:31 UTC