THE Office of the Ombudsman has placed Porac, Pampanga mayor Jaime Capil, vice mayor Francis Laurence Tamayo, Business Permit and Licensing Office officer-in-charge Emerald Vital and eight members of the Sangguniang Bayan under a six-month preventive suspension.
In an 11-page order dated October 7, 2024, Ombudsman Samuel Martires directed Deputy Ombudsman for the Military and other Law Enforcement Offices (MOLEO) Jose Balmeo Jr. to implement the suspension order.
A copy of the directive was likewise forwarded to the office of the secretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).
The order stemmed from an administrative complaint filed by DILG Undersecretary Juan Victo Llamas against the Porac municipal officials, which was based on the investigations of the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) against illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations (POGO) in Porac, specifically the Lucky South 99 which was leasing space from the Whirlwind Corporation.
According to its report, the PAOCC rescued 207 individuals – 50 Filipinos, 127 Chinese, 23 Vietnamese, four Malaysians, and three Burmese from the facility.
As an offshoot of the PAOCC raid, Task Force Porac was created whose parallel probe yielded the findings that Lucky South 99 was licensed in 2019 as a Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) based on permits issued by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
The Sangguniang Bayan of Porac issued a Letter of No Objection on November 5, 2019 pursuant to the letter-request of Katherine Cassandra Ong addressed to then Vice Mayor Charlie Santos, followed by the issuance of a business permit dated January 7, 2020.
It was only on October 28, 2020 that the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor0 granted Lucky South 99 an offshore gaming license for e-casino valid for three years, or until October 2023.
Despite the change in the nature of operations, Lucky South 99 was able to obtain new business permits in 2021, 2022, and 2023 enabling it to continue with its POGO operations.
On the other hand, the PNP said it apprised Capil of the suspected illegal activities of the POGO company in July 2021 and again in August 2023, including illegal detention, cyber-related criminal activities, prostitution, and illegal drugs involving two Chinese nationals.
Likewise, two letters dated March 20 and 24, 2024 were sent to Capil by the Porac PNP requesting verification if Lucky South 99 is a duly licensed POGO firm and requesting assistance to shutdown POGO companies with no permits.
The Porac Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), through a memorandum dated May 10, 2024, notified the mayor that Lucky South 99 is included in its “negative list” for non-compliance with Fire Safety Measures.
“Without delving into the merits of the case and without prejudging the same, there are sufficient grounds to hold that the evidence of guilt is strong at this time against the following incumbent officials of the municipal government of Porac, Pampanga,” the Ombudsman said.
It added that the charge of gross neglect of duty, if proven true, constitutes sufficient ground for their dismissal from government service.
The Ombudsman stressed that a preventive suspension is part of an administrative investigation and is not a punishment but a mechanism to prevent the public officials from using their position and powers to influence potential witnesses or to tamper with records.
