MANILA, Philippines – The wife of Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corporation executive Linconn Ong is appealing to the Senate to release him for humanitarian reasons.

In a letter addressed to Senator Richard Gordon, the Senate blue ribbon committee chairman, Summer Ong said their son has been suffering from dengue.

“I fervently appeal to you dear senators to please let my husband go. It is not only I who need him most now but also our son who is suffering from dengue, who may I just mention is not doing too well and constantly looks for his father,” Summer said in her letter dated Monday, February 14.

The letter was released to media on Thursday, February 17.

Linconn is a director of Pharmally, which was able to bag more than P10 billion in pandemic deals between 2020 and 2021, despite being a small firm with little capital.

During the course of the Senate investigation, Linconn was cited in contempt for his inconsistent and evasive answers. He also declined an executive session with senators and refused to give their company’s financial records to the Senate.

Linconn has been detained at the Pasay City Jail since November 2021 for his failure to cooperate in the Senate probe.

In her letter, Summer said Linconn should have been released from jail upon the release of the blue ribbon committee report. She accused senators of “besmirching” Linconn’s reputation for their reelection bids.

“Senator Gordon has deemed it necessary to keep him imprisoned even without a crime proven or a case filed by issuing a partial Senate report,” she said.

“What [Linconn] is experiencing now, the anguish of not being there for his family, the difficult situation in a city jail, which incidentally has no jurisdiction over him, and the constant fear for the future, with no clear indication as to when this will all end, please pardon my words, is torture brought upon him and to his family by the Senate.”

Summer said they will face charges when filed. “In the meantime, let him be with his son,” she added.

According to the reply of Senate blue ribbon committee Director General Rudy Quimbo to Summer, Gordon sympathizes with the condition of Linconn’s son.

“The chairman found it prudent to relay your request to all members of the blue ribbon committee for their comments before any decision on the matter may be made by the committee,” said Quimbo in his reply to Summer.

The Senate panel released its partial report on the Pharmally controversy in early February. The draft report recommends the filing of criminal complaints against Linconn, President Rodrigo Duterte’s former economic adviser Michael Yang, government officials, and other executives linked to the pandemic deals.

As of February 7, eight senators have signed the committee report. Three more signatures are needed for it to be tackled at the Senate plenary.

Some senators were reportedly hesitant to sign the report given that the recommendations include filing complaints against Duterte “after his term of office.” – Rappler.com