P11 billion plunder complaint filed in Pharmally case
The Philippine Office of the Ombudsman has filed an 11-billion-peso plunder complaint against 46 individuals, including former government officials and Pharmally Pharmaceutical executives. The charges relate to alleged anomalous medical supply purchases during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Why it matters
This represents a major anti-corruption effort in the Philippines, targeting high-profile figures linked to the previous administration's pandemic response.
MANILA, Philippines - The Office of the Ombudsman has filed an P11-billion plunder complaint against 46 people, including officials of Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp., over alleged anomalous purchases of medical supplies during the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla confirmed the filing of the complaint, lamenting that many of the respondents "have become invisible."
"It seems they're trying to evade the jurisdiction of this body," Remulla said at a press briefing.
Among the respondents, he said, is Lloyd Christopher Lao, former head of the Procurement Service-Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM), and businessman Michael Yang, a former economic adviser of former president Rodrigo Duterte.
In August 2025, Lao pleaded not guilty before the Sandiganbayan Fifth Division concerning the alleged anomalous purchase of P4.1-billion worth of medical supplies from Pharmally during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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