Dargani's mom, Ong's wife run to CHR for help vs. Senate detention, treatment

Relatives of detained Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corporation executives Mohit Dargani and Linconn Ong have asked for help from the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) over their continued detention at the Pasay City Jail and their treatment by Senate officers while detained.

In a letter addressed to acting CHR chairperson Leah Tanodra-Armamento dated April 28, Dargani’s mother Deepa and Ong’s wife Summer cited alleged acts of violation of basic human rights committed against the two.

“We are appealing to your kind assistance, in accordance with the mandate given to your Commission by the Constitution, to address these issues which go to the very heart of basic rights afforded to every Filipino under our system of government,” their letter read.

Dargani and Ong have been ordered detained after the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee held them in contempt over their refusal to answer issues related to the questioned multi-billion-peso contracts for COVID-19 supplies and equipment.

They were transferred to the Pasay City Jail in November 2021.

Deepa and Summer raised the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms allegedly restricting the access of lawyers of Ong and Dargani by imposing “tedious and unreasonable conditions" before they can meet with their clients.

The relatives added that these acts included the threat of physically removing one lawyer from the Senate premises.

They also raised the alleged deprivation of adequate medical attention to another Pharmally executive Twinkle Dargani, who is allegedly suffering from mental health issues.

The Senate has allegedly denied her hospital confinement despite the advice of her doctor, according to the relatives.

Twinkle has since been released from the Senate premises after she tested positive for COVID-19 and was allowed to complete her quarantine at her family's residence in Taguig City last January 11.

The relatives also raised concern over the continuous detention of the two executives even though they said the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee had ended its investigation on the Pharmally issue.

They said that the investigation was a “campaign tool “used by Senate Ribbon Committee Chairperson Senator Richard Gordon with Ong and Dargani being portrayed as the faces of “corruption.”

“As Senator Gordon tries to boost his campaign at the expense of Linconn and Mohit, our repeated pleas for their release, even on house arrest, continues to fall on deaf ears,” the letter read.

“We are appealing to your kind assistance, in accordance with the mandate given to your Commission by the Constitution, to address these issues which go to the very heart of basic rights afforded to every Filipino under our system of government,” it added.

Dargani’s petition questioning his continued detention over the alleged anomalies in the government's COVID-19 expenditures has been re-raffled to the Court of Appeals (CA) Fourth Division. 

GMA News Online has reached out to Gordon and Senate Sergeant-at-Arms retired General Rene Sarmiento for comment. —NB, GMA News