President Rodrigo Duterte also met another Chinese businessman who allegedly chairs one of the firms that supplied medical goods to the Department of Budget and Management Procurement Service (PS-DBM), Senator Risa Hontiveros said on Thursday.
During the continuation of the Senate probe into the government procurement of COVID-19 supplies in 2020, Hontiveros showed pictures of Duterte having a meeting with Wang Min, who allegedly chaired the Xuzhou Construction Machinery Group (XCMG).
The meeting was reported in 2017.
GMA News Online sought comment from Malacanang but has yet to receive any.
XCMG representative Rey Isidore Gulleban said he was not aware if Wang was the chairman of the company.
“Hindi ko pa po siya nakikita at hindi ko po masabi kung siya ang current chairman,” he said.
[I have’t seen him yet and I cannot say that he is the current chairman.]
Gulleban said his knowledge about the company was very limited because he only served as a liaison officer for the firm.
“Well, for the record, Mr. Chairman, ito ‘yung, base sa aming research, siya ang chairman ng Xuzhou,” Hontiveros said.
[For the record, Mr. Chairman, based on our research, he is the chairman of Xuzhou.]
The senator then showed two pictures of Wang and Duterte. The first one showed the Duterte and the Chinese businessman in front of the presidential seal while the other one showed the two across a table in conference.
“Tapos, Mr. Chairman, may lumabas [na article] nu’ng 2017, so parehong taon na may courtesy call ang Pharmally officials kay presidente sa Davao,” Hontiveros said.
[There is also an article in 2017, which shows that the meeting happened in the same year when Pharmally officials had a courtesy call with the president in Davao.]
According to the Chinese language website, Wang Min led the XCMG delegation to the Philippines from February 23 to 27,2017.
“Chairman Wang Min introduced to President Duterte the overall situation of XCMG Group and XCMG’s operations in the Philippines since 1992,” Hontiveros said, quoting the translated text from the firm’s website.
“President Duterte expressed his appreciation for the support provided by XCMG for the economic construction of the Philippines, and showed great interest in Chairman Wang Min’s proposal to increase infrastructure construction and environmental protection in the Philippines and establish friendly cities between the two parties,” the XCMG further stated on its website.
Hontiveros asked Gulleban if XCMG, a construction company, has already branched out to medical supplies.
“Ang Xuzhou nasa business ng construction and machinery, sa pangalan niyo pa lang. So san niyo sinource ang medical supplies na binenta niyo sa PS-DBM? Nag-diversify na ba kayo sa health industry?” she asked.
[Xuzhou is in the business of construction and machinery. From the firm’s name, it is quite obvious already. So where did you source the medical supplies which you sold to PS-DBM? Did you diversify already to health industry?]
Gulleban answered in the affirmative, but he noted that his knowledge about the matter is just limited and it is their country manager and chief representative, Robin Han, who can give full details on it.
Han was not able to attend the hearing because he has contracted COVID-19, according to Gulleban.
“I guess until, Mr. Han gets well, Mr. chairman, I have to wait the answers from him…But at least for today ‘yung mainit na tinanggap [si Wang] sa Malacanang nung 2017, as the minority leader also graphically illustrated earlier, tax evader pala ngayon,” she said.
[But at least today, it is clear that Mr. Wang was warmly welcomed in Malacañang in 2017. As the minority leader also graphically illustrated earlier, he is apparently a tax evader.]
“So parang may pattern na nag-eemerge dito sa mga pinaburang kompanya to the detriment, ‘di lang ng health workers, ‘di lang ng mamayan in general, but also to the detriment of mga Pilipinong kompanya,” she added.
[So it seems that there is a pattern that emerged here among the favored companies to the detriment, not only of our health workers, of our countrymen, but also to the detriment of the Filipino companies.]
At the hearing, Coalition of Philippine Manufacturers of PPE (CPMP) Rosette Carrillo said they were not given the same courtesy similar that the Chinese businessmen received from President Duterte.
Hontiveros asked Carillo if they were ever invited to Malacañang, the latter answered “No. Never.”
“Mr. chairman, hindi lang sa konrata favored ang mga dayuhang kompanya pati sa personal interaction with the head of state of our republic,” Hontiveros said.
[Mr. Chairman, they did not only favor the foreign companies with the contracts but also in terms of personal interaction with the head of state of the republic.]
At the early part of the hearing, it was disclosed that XCMG has no income tax records available with the Bureau of Internal Revenue from 2017 up to present.
The senators previously learned that XCMG is not an accredited importer of the Bureau of Customs (BOC) and not registered under the country’s Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). -NB, GMA News
Risa: Pictures show Duterte meeting exec of another firm that supplied medical goods
Source: Pinoy Hub News
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