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Former Budget Undersecretary Lloyd Christopher Lao poses for this undated photo. Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System website/File 

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Hernel Tocmo

ABS-CBN News

<div><span data-teams="true" id="isPasted"><span dir="ltr"></span></span></div><div> </div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17266497101441726649708955.png" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Former Budget Undersecretary Lloyd Christopher Lao poses for this undated photo. Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System website/File  "/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left"><span id="isPasted" style="color:rgb(51, 51, 51);letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:pre-wrap;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;display:inline !important;float:none">Former Budget Undersecretary Lloyd Christopher Lao poses for this undated photo. <em>Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System website/File </em></span><em> </em></span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><p>Police on Wednesday arrested<span id="isPasted" style="color:rgb(65, 65, 65);letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;display:inline !important;float:none"> former budget undersecretary Lloyd Christopher Lao, who was implicated in the controversial procurement of<span id="isPasted" style="color:rgb(0, 0, 0);letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;display:inline !important;float:none"> medical supplies from Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp. at the onset of the COVID-1-9 pandemic. </span></span></p><p>A tracker team led by the police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) served the warrant of <span id="isPasted" style="color:rgb(65, 65, 65);letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;display:inline !important;float:none">arrest</span> for Lao at his house in <span id="isPasted" style="color:rgb(65, 65, 65);letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;display:inline !important;float:none">Obrero, Davao City. </span></p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/5/10/ombudsman-duque-lao-liable-for-pharmally-deal-1940">Ombudsman: Duque, Lao liable for Pharmally mess</a></div><p>The charges against Lao stemmed from the complaint filed before the Office of the Ombudsman by former Senator Richard Gordon and Sen. Risa Hontiveros. </p><p>Lao was detained at the CIDG Regional Forensic Unit 11 in Davao City. The arrest warrant issued by Sandiganbayan First Division chairperson Maria Theresa Mendoza-Arcega set his recommended bail at <span id="isPasted" style="color:rgb(65, 65, 65);letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;display:inline !important;float:none">P90,000. </span></p><p>Meanwhile, Hontiveros urged Lao to name the &quot;big boss&quot; behind the alleged corruption in the government&#x27;s COVID-19 response funds.</p><p>&quot;Time to face the music, Atty. Lao. Oras na para harapin mo ang mga kaso laban sa yo. Ngayong nasa kamay na siya ng batas, aminin na rin sana niya kung sino nga ba ang &#x27;big boss&#x27; na may pakana at nakinabang sa korapsyon sa bilyon-bilyong COVID–19 funds,&quot; Hontiveros said in a statement.</p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/6/4/-laglagan-na-drilon-says-truth-on-pharmally-mess-starting-to-come-out-1644">&#x27;Laglagan na&#x27;: Drilon says truth on Pharmally mess starting to come out</a></div><p>Lao was chief of the budget department&#x27;s procurement service when Pharmally won P8.6 billion in government contracts for face masks and COVID-19 test kits even if it was only incorporated in 2019 and only had a capital of about P625,000.</p><p>Some senators in the 18th Congress had suspected Pharmally was favored by government due to its links with the former economic adviser of then President Rodrigo Duterte, Michael Yang. They also said the items it sold to government were overpriced.</p><p>Duterte denied there was overpricing and said the deals were above board.</p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/08/31/21/duterte-defends-utang-na-loob-in-post-for-ex-official">Duterte cites &#x27;utang na loob&#x27; to ex-DBM exec facing Senate probe</a></div><p style="color:rgb(0, 0, 0);letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial">Yang, a Davao-based businessman, <a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/10/28/21/yang-denies-lending-money-to-pharmally-despite-testimonies" style="color:rgb(199, 29, 29);text-decoration:none">denied</a> lending money to Pharmally executives. </p><div style="color:rgb(0, 0, 0);letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial"><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/08/28/23/gordon-insists-duterte-liable-in-pharmally-mess-ombudsman-says-paper-trail-limited">Gordon insists Duterte liable in Pharmally mess; Ombudsman says paper trail is limited</a></div><div style="color:rgb(0, 0, 0);letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial"><span id="isPasted" style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><strong>– With a report from RG Cruz, ABS-CBN News</strong></span></div><div><br/></div><div><br/></div><div><br/></div><div style="color:rgb(0, 0, 0);letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial"><br/></div><div><br/></div><div><br/></div><div><br/></div><div><br/></div><div><br/></div>

<p>Police on Wednesday arrested former budget undersecretary Lloyd Christopher Lao, who was implicated in the controversial procurement of medical supplies from Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp.</p>

Police on Wednesday arrested former budget undersecretary Lloyd Christopher Lao, who was implicated in the controversial procurement of medical supplies from Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp.

Ex-budget exec tagged in Pharmally mess nabbed in Davao City

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Ex-budget exec tagged in Pharmally mess nabbed in Davao City

Hernel Tocmo,

ABS-CBN News

Published September 18, 2024 05:15 PM PHT

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