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Daphne Galvez - The Philippine Star
April 16, 2026 | 12:00am
File photo of the Office of the Ombudsman.
Philstar.com / File
MANILA, Philippines — The Court of Appeals (CA) has affirmed the dismissal of former overall deputy ombudsman Warren Rex Liong from government service over his involvement in the alleged overpriced procurement of personal protective equipment and surgical masks from Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp. during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a ruling, the CA’s Third Division denied for lack of merit Liong’s petition seeking to overturn the Office of the Ombudsman’s order dismissing him from service.
Liong was ordered dismissed in 2023 for grave misconduct and serious dishonesty over his role in irregular government contracts with Pharmally while serving as procurement group director of the Procurement Service-Department of Budget and Management.
He allegedly recommended the approval of contracts despite the firm’s failure to comply with technical and financial requirements under procurement laws.
“It must be emphasized that the transactions that were investigated and found to be anomalous involved contracts for billions of pesos that came from the national treasury, yet they were awarded to a grossly undercapitalized and inexperienced supplier like Pharmally,” the ruling read.
The CA ruled that the ombudsman correctly found Liong to have shown flagrant disregard of procurement laws, citing discrepancies and anomalies in documents he signed, including a request for offer covering 2.4 million pieces of KN95 masks.
In his defense, Liong cited Republic Act 11469 or the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act, claiming it relaxed provisions of RA 9184 or the Government Procurement Reform Act during the health crisis.
The appellate court, however, said laws must be interpreted in harmony with the Constitution.
“He (Liong) cannot hide behind his own interpretation of Bayanihan I, especially since his avowed awareness of it runs counter to the Constitution and the basic tenets of fairness and accountability,” it said.
The Pharmally controversy has continued to generate political repercussions, with new allegations linking individuals associated with the firm to campaign financing activities.
During a House committee on justice hearing on impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte, detention prisoner Ramil Madriaga claimed that figures tied to Pharmally helped bankroll her 2022 campaign. – Delon Porcalla
