Lacson: Darganis’ arrest shows no safe haven for Pharmally mess personalities

The arrest of the Dargani siblings in relation to the Senate investigation on irregularities surrounding the procurement of medical supplies to deal with the pandemic shows no one in the mess is untouchable, Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson said Monday.

Lacson said the arrest of Mohit and Twinkle Dargani Sunday by the Office of the Senate Sergeant-At-Arms (OSAA) personnel shows there is no such thing as a safe haven – not even Davao City.

“Kung inaakala ng magkapatid na Dargani na safe haven ang Davao City, just like Michael Yang and Christopher Lao are thinking, they should think again. There is no such thing as a safe haven on earth (If the Darganis thought Davao City is a safe haven just like Michael Yang and Christopher Lao, they should think again. There’s no such thing as a safe haven),” he said.

OSAA personnel arrested the Darganis before they were to take a flight abroad on Sunday. Still at large are former Department of Budget and Management Procurement Service OIC Christopher Lao and former presidential adviser Michael Yang.

“There’s no safe haven on earth, even for people like Yang, Lao, and the Dargani siblings. Davao City is not a haven. They should stop thinking di sila magalaw doon. As what was proven yesterday, they are now in the Senate premises. They will be ‘forced’ to attend the Nov. 25 Blue Ribbon hearing,” he said in an interview on ANC.

He added the OSAA led by retired Maj. Gen. Rene Samonte “deserves commendation from the senators and the Filipino people as well.”

Also, Lacson said that while Yang appears “untouchable” so far, “our people in the Senate are not sleeping on the job,” and that both he and Lao “have been cited for contempt.”

Meanwhile, Lacson reiterated that the Senate should continue to learn its lessons from the Darganis’ near-escape and adapt accordingly.

“It bears repeating that we should also continue to learn our lessons from what happened and adapt accordingly – in this case, making sure that even with virtual hearings, the Senate retains its element of surprise and does not telegraph its moves,” he said.