THE House of Representatives yesterday approved a resolution directing four committees to jointly investigate top issues hounding the previous Duterte administration: operation of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) and crimes associated with it, the proliferation of illegal drugs and its bloody war on drugs.
Lawmakers approved House Resolution No. 1880 tasking the Committees on Dangerous Drugs, Public Order and Safety, Human Rights and Public Accounts to combine their separate investigations since the three issues have been found to be intertwined.
“These individual inquiries by the three committees have been persistent and yet exhaustive. Still, there are issues that are interwoven entailing scrutiny into intricate details,” Deputy Speaker Aurelio Gonzales Jr. of Pampanga said in a privilege speech.
Reps. Joel Chua of Manila and Patrick Michael Vargas of Quezon City have also earlier filed Resolution No. 1843 proposing that the inquiries of the three committees be combined, while Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro suggested that the Committee on Public Accounts be included in the proposed multi-committee investigating panel.
The dangerous drugs committee has been investigating the seizure last September of P3.6 billion worth of shabu in a warehouse in Mexico, Pampanga which was found to be owned by a company headed by Chinese nationals with links to other companies like the Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp.
On the other hand, the Committees on Public Order and Safety and on Games and Amusement have been investigating the social ills caused by POGOs, particularly the crimes linked to it.
Meanwhile, the Committee on Human Rights has been looking at the alleged human rights violations and extrajudicial killings (EJKs) under Duterte’s war on drugs, while the Committee on Public Accounts has been probing the anomalous transactions involving the local government of Mexico, Pampanga which lawmakers believe is linked to the discovery of illegal drugs there.
Last week, Sta. Rosa Rep. Dan Fernandez, chair of the public order panel, revealed the link between illegal POGOs and drugs traders, saying it involves a complex network of Chinese nationals, including former president Rodrigo Duterte’s then economic adviser Michael Yang.
In a matrix which he presented, Fernandez exposed the links between POGOs and the drug operations.
For one, Fernandez cited the findings of the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) that suspended Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo, who had 36 accounts, was involved in bank transactions amounting to P29 billion.
He said the joint panel was able to establish that Hong Jiang Yang, Yang’s brother, had transactions worth P3.3 billion with Guo, who according to Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, is one of the brains behind the POGO hub raided in Bamban, Tarlac.
Speaker Martin Romualdez, himself, led lawmakers last Monday in inspecting POGO sites in Bamban, Tarlac, and in Porac, Pampanga.
Gonzales said the nation “is currently grappling with complex issues involving public order, the proliferation of dangerous drugs, and human rights violations.”
“We must address these issues in a coordinated and timely manner to ensure justice and the rule of law,” he said, adding that the separate investigations “have shown an overlap or commonalities on individuals or resource persons (who) may be invited in the hearings.”
He stressed the need for a “unified and collaborative approach” in looking into the “interconnected problems and issues” that have so far surfaced.
“The complex yet interrelated nature of the issues surrounding public order, dangerous drugs, and human rights violations demonstrates the unique benefits of a collaborative approach that only a joint investigation can provide. A joint investigation will enable us to conduct a more inclusive and thorough examination of these interlocking issues,” he said.
“It will allow us to invite resource persons who can provide valuable insights across multiple areas of concern. This coordinated effort will ensure that our findings are comprehensive and that our legislative recommendations are practical and encompassing,” he added.
