Former Budget Undersecretary Lloyd Christopher Lao at Friday’s Laging Handa briefing. FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — A hold departure order should be issued against former Budget Undersecretary Christopher Lao and officials of the firm that bagged over P8.6 billion in government contracts to supply pandemic response equipment in 2020, Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon said Thursday.
In the case of Lao, Drilon said he has heard “rumors” that the former budget official is supposedly planning to leave the country.
“I have no specific information that he is leaving the country pero caution lamang. Kailangan siyang managot dito sa mga alegasyon at sa mga pruweba na aming nakikita, dapat andito sya, e caution lamang na dapat may hold departure order para po hindi siya makalabas,” the senator told reporters in an online interview.
(I have no specific information that he is leaving the country but we should be cautious. He needs to be held responsible for the allegations and the proof that we see, he should be here. So as a caution a hold departure order should be filed so that he cannot leave the country.)
“May naririnig ako pero yan ay rumor lamang kaya at haka-haka lamang at logically sinasabi nila na baka umalis ito kaya it is just a caution na magkaroon kami ng hold departure order para hindi po makalabas sa bansa,” he added.
(I’ve been hearing a lot but they are just rumors and logically there are suggestions that he may leave the country so a hold departure order is needed so he can’t leave.)
The Senate blue ribbon committee is currently investigating the controversial procurement of “overpriced” personal protective equipment (PPE), face masks, and shields made by the Department of Budget and Management-Procurement Service (DBM-PS), under Lao’s leadership, on behalf of the Department of Health in 2020.
Among the suppliers is Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp., which bagged government contracts worth over P8.6 billion in 2020 despite being only several months old and having just P625,000 in paid-up capital.
According to Drilon, a hold departure order should also be issued against Pharmally officials if they are still in the country.
“Sa akin, baka kailangan din nating humingi ng hold departure order kung andito pa sila Twinkle Dargani na siyang presidente, si Mohit Dargani na siyang treasurer ng Pharmally at yung Huang Tzu Yen na siyang chief executive officer ng Pharmally baka hingan din natin ng hold departure order para po makaharap sa Senado,” he added.
(For me, maybe we also need to request for a hold departure order against Twinkle Dargani who is the president, Mohit Dargani who is the treasurer of Pharmally and Huan Tzu Yen the chief executive officer of Pharmally, we can also request a hold departure order against them so that they can face the Senate.)
The three officials were invited by the Senate blue ribbon committee in its third hearing on Aug. 27 but they did not participate.
“Hindi ba pwede humingi ang Senado na mag-issue ng HDO on a matter pending before them? We can request that and a hold departure order be issued,” Drilon went on.
(Can’t the Senate ask for the issuance of an HDO on a matter pending before them? We can request it and a hold departure order will be issued.)
Still, the minority leader suggested that Senate President Vicente Sotto III and blue-ribbon panel chairman Senator Richard Gordon consider filing a petition for the issuance of the hold departure order.
“I have to review whether the Senate of the Philippines can file a petition. If the Senate of the Philippines can file a petition for the issuance of the HDO, I will suggest to the Senate president and Chairman Dick Gordon that we file a petition before the courts,” the minority leader added.
In an INQside Look interview, Sotto confirmed that Gordon had made a request for a hold departure order against Lao.
“I made the necessary consultations because the Senate can’t just do that, it is the courts actually,” he said.
“So really, it should be the courts, I told him (Gordon) already how to go about it,” Sotto added.
According to the website of the Bureau of Immigration (BI), a hold departure order can be filed if there is a “criminal case pending before the Regional Trial Court (RTC) and order should be given by the RTC directing the Bureau of Immigration (BI) to hold the departure of the person/s named.”
“If in case the case does not fall on an HDO, you may refer to the Department of Justice for an application for an Immigration Lookout Bulletin Order,” the BI noted.