Malacañang on Monday said it would be up to the Department of Justice (DOJ) to decide whether to investigate the alleged alteration on expiry dates of face shields procured by the government through Pharmally Pharmaceuticals Corp. during the onset of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.

“We’ll leave that to the Department of Justice to decide,” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in his regular Palace press briefing when asked how the government will address the issue.

In a Senate blue ribbon committee hearing on September 24, Krizle Grace Mago of Pharmally admitted that they changed the expiration dates of face shields for medical front-liners from 2020 to 2021 at the onset of the pandemic.

Roque said the government “will look into the matter” but the witness must substantiate her testimony.

“Ngayon lumalabas po itong mga bagong isyu na ito. Ang tanong po: Tatayo ba ho iyong ganiyang testimonya? Tingnan po natin, kinakailangan po kasi iyan, ma-substantiate (Now these new issues are coming up. The question is: Will such a testimony stand? Let’s see, that has to be substantiated),” Roque said.

“Sa ngayon po, titingnan natin kung talagang may katotohanan iyang alteration ng manufacturing date at kung mayroon, kung mayroong batas na nilabag (For now, we will see if the alteration of the manufacturing date is really true and if there is alteration, whether is a law that has been violated),” he added.

During the hearing of the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said the matter is already being investigated by the Department of Health (DOH).

Duque also said the DOH has carefully scrutinized all the deliveries of protective gears, including the face shields, upon arrival to the Philippines.

“I’m sure that the DOH will into the allegation and to see if it in fact verified. Because now it came from one source and we do not know what under the circumstance the source may have said these. So let’s find out. As I said, even as a lawyer–as a legal educator: Physical evidence matters,” Roque said.

“We will look into the matter. But what is important is iyong sinabi nga po ni Usec. Vergeire, na kahit kailan pa na-manufacture iyan, ininspekta iyan ng DOH (the statement of [Health] Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire that whatever the manufacturing date, it was inspected by the DOH) and it was accepted because it was pursuant to standards set by the WHO [World Health Organization],” he added.

At the House hearing, Duque said also the established shelf life of a face shield is three years.

Duque also said around 2 million face shields purchased from Pharmally have all been distributed to and utilized by medical front-liners during the onset of the pandemic.

He said none of the health workers complained about the face shields delivered to them. (PNA)