Lloyd Christopher Lao

Lloyd Christopher Abellana Lao is a Filipino lawyer and former Undersecretary for the Procurement Service of the Department of Budget and Management during the administration of Pres. Rodrigo Duterte. Lao was figured in a number of controversies during the Duterte administration, such as the Pharmally Scandal.^[1]

Lloyd Christopher Lao
Undersecretary for Procurement Service - Department of Budget and Management
Incumbent
Assumed office January 2, 2020
President	Rodrigo Duterte
Chief Executive Officer and Commissioner of the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB)
In office 2018 – June 2019
President	Rodrigo Duterte
Undersecretary of the Presidential Management Staff – Office of the Special Assistant to the President
Incumbent
Assumed office June 31, 2016
Appointed by	Rodrigo Duterte
Personal details
Born	Lloyd Christopher Abellana Lao Davao City
Alma mater	Ateneo de Davao University

Early life

Lloyd Christopher Lao was born in Davao City and earned his law degree from Ateneo de Davao University. He is a member of the Lex Talionis Fraternity, the same fraternity that former President Rodrigo Duterte belongs to.

Duterte Administration

Office of the Special Assistant to the President

Upon assumption of his Presidency, Rodrigo Duterte issued Executive Order No. 1, tasking the Special Assistant to the President (SAP), Christopher Lawrence "Bong" Go, to oversee the Office of the Special Assistant to the President (OSAP), which in turn would supervise the Presidential Management Staff (PMS) as well as the Office of the Appointments Secretary (OAS)^[2] Go was appointed as Secretary, while Lao was appointed as Undersecretary.^[3]

Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board

Duterte would appoint Lao as Chief Executive Officer and Commissioner of the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB) in 2018. As CEO, he was later figured in an extortion case filed at the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) by real estate developers.^[4]

Department of Budget and Management

Duterte would appoint Lao to the Procurement Office of the Department of Budget and Management on January 2, 2019. The said office would oversee the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPs).^[5]

Arrest

On September 17, 2024, the Criminal Investigation and Detections Group (CIDG) was able to track Lao in Ecoland in Davao City, and served him an arrest warrant issued by the Sandiganbayan in violation of Republic Act No. 3019 (Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act), for his involvement in the Pharmally Scam. The bail however was set at PhP 90,000.00.^[6]