MANILA — Lloyd Christopher Lao, the former head of the Procurement Service of the Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM) embroiled in the Pharmally deal, has asked the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee to give him clearance so he could travel abroad.

Senate Blue Ribbon Committee Chairman Francis Tolentino revealed Lao's request on Thursday as the panel conducted a hearing on the PS-DBM's procurement of allegedly overpriced laptops for the Department of Education.

In his Aug. 11 letter to Tolentino, Lao requested for "clearance or certification that he has no pending case, contempt charges, and/or warrant of arrest."

"In view of the culmination of the 18th Congress and the consequent termination of the said Senate investigation, the issuance of the requested clearance/certification is just and equitable under the circumstances," Lao said.

Former PS-DBM head Lloyd Christopher Lao virtually attends the Senate blue ribbon committee probe on the DepEd laptops issue.

He asks for panel's certification that he "has no pending case, contempt charges, and/or warrant of arrest" before the panel. | via @sherieanntorres pic.twitter.com/8O5Jo27Wtg

— ABS-CBN News (@ABSCBNNews) August 25, 2022

"Such clearance of certification will be used by the undersigned in requesting for the lifting of the Immigration Look-Out Bulletin Order (ILBO)," he added.

Tolentino said he referred the matter to other members of the committee because it was not his sole decision to make.

"The opinion and certification and clearance that you are asking from me cannot be issued today because I have to refer this to the better judgement of the majority members of the blue ribbon committee," the lawmaker said.

• DOJ issues immigration lookout order vs Michael Yang

In the 18th Congress, the Senate investigated Pharmally after records showed that PS-DBM awarded billions of pesos worth of government contracts to the company that only had less than a million pesos in paid-up capital.

Pharmally allegedly supplied the government with overpriced medical supplies, including substandard face shields.

— Report from Sherrie Ann Torres, ABS-CBN News

RELATED VIDEO

Watch more News on iWantTFC