MANILA, Philippines — October 9, 2025 — Newly appointed Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla announced on Thursday his intention to review the 2021 Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corporation corruption case, which has drawn renewed public interest.
In an interview, Remulla expressed concern that the case “seems to have been forgotten, buried in oblivion.” He emphasized that “these kinds of cases shouldn’t really be forgotten because the allegations have weight, and many are saying that something wrong happened there.”
The Pharmally scandal involves alleged irregularities in government contracts worth billions of pesos for COVID-19 response supplies, despite the company having a paid-up capital of only P625,000. The case was previously investigated by the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, but no significant actions followed the hearings.
“The Senate had a hearing but did not move forward from there. So we need to revisit it,” Remulla said, signaling a potential reopening of the investigation.
When asked whether former President Rodrigo Duterte might be implicated, Remulla clarified, “The responsibility will always depend on the evidence. We will go as far as the evidence takes us.”
The move has generated attention as it could potentially revive accountability measures in a case that has long been a focus of public scrutiny.
Previously, Pharmally executives Lincoln Ong and Mohit Dargani were released from Pasay City Jail after seven months in detention for refusing to cooperate with the Senate investigation, further fueling calls to continue pursuing the matter.
Remulla’s statement marks the beginning of a renewed Ombudsman review into government procurement irregularities tied to the pandemic response, with the aim of ensuring proper investigation and accountability.