Senator Risa Hontiveros on Thursday, August 24 welcomed the filing of graft charges against former Undersecretary Lloyd Christopher Lao and two other executives of the Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corporation who were involved in the controversial overpriced Covid-19 supplies. 

The Office of the Ombudsman has recommended filing graft charges against Lao, and three other former officials of the Procurement Service-Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM) namely former procurement group director Warren Rex Liong, and former procurement management officer Paul Jasper De Guzman.

The Ombudsman, in its resolution dated August 14, said they had caused undue injury to the government worth P4.165-billion.

“Sana ay magsilbi ang araw na ito bilang babala sa lahat ng nagpaplanong nakawin at lustayin ang kaban ng bayan:  Darating at darating ang hustisya (I hope this day serves as a warning to all those planning to steal and squander the public treasury: Justice will indeed come),” Hontiveros said in a statement.

“Isang welcome at (This is a welcome and) much-awaited development…Mahalagang hakbang ito tungo sa pagsingil ng accountability at hustisya laban sa mga taong nasa likod ng kahindik-hindik na pagsasayang at maling paggamit ng limitadong pondo ng pamahalaan habang naghihirap ang mga Pilipino sa gitna ng  pandaigdigang pandemya (This is an important step towards bringing accountability and justice against those behind the appalling waste and misuse of limited government funds while Filipinos suffer in the midst of a global pandemic),” she added.

Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero welcomed the recommendations of the Ombudsman but wondered why plunder charges were not included.

“The wheels of justice may be slow but it continues to grind nonetheless,” Escudero said in a statement.

“I wonder why plunder charges were not recommended given the amount involved which clearly exceeds the threshold of P50 million for plunder,” he said.

Former Senate President Franklin Drilon also commended the graft charges against Lao and the other officials involved in the irregular procurement saying it “marks a significant step towards holding those responsible accountable for their actions.”

Drilon was instrumental in exposing the corruption schemes in the procurement of Covid-19 supplies during the Senate hearing on the controversial procurement in 2020 and 2021.

The former lawmaker noted Pharmally’s paid up capital was only P625,000 but it was able to bag billions of pesos worth of medical supplies through PS-DBM. 

From zero declared income in 2019, Drilon said Pharmally recorded a gross income of P384.04 million and a net income of P264.65 million in 2020.

“It only goes to show that any form of corruption will be met with severe consequences. Our duty is to ensure that public funds are utilized for the benefit of the people, particularly during emergencies,” Drilon said.

Former senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson also welcomed the filing of charges but wondered why one name, who was repeatedly mentioned during the hearing was not included in the list of those charged.

“While somebody whose name was prominently and repeatedly mentioned during the Senate hearings as the alleged financier of the syndicate is apparently missing in the list of those recommended for indictment, it is still good enough to commend the Ombudsman for this latest development,” Lacson said in a statement.

“That being said, I am willing to concede that maybe the evidence is not sufficient to establish probable cause against him,” he said.