THE chiefs of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) and the PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group (ACG) have been ordered relieved for a period of 10 days to give way to investigation on alleged irregularities related to the raid of a suspected scam hub in the city of Manila last week.
In a press briefing at Camp Crame, PNP spokesperson Brig. Gen. Jean Fajardo said the relief of NCRPO director Maj. Gen. Sidney Hernia and ACG director Maj. Gen. Ronnie Francis Cariaga was not a punishment.
“They were administratively relieved for 10 days to give way to the investigation being conducted by a committee created for this purpose,” Fajardo said, adding the relief was ordered by the PNP leadership effective yesterday.
She said the deputy chiefs of NCRPO and ACG, Brig. Gen. Reynaldo Tamondong and Col. Vina Guzman, respectively, have taken over as officer-in-charge of the two key PNP units.
“The administrative relief of our two senior officers is not a form of punishment… We effected their administrative relief to give way to the investigation, shed light on the issues that cropped up during the police operation,” said Fajardo.
The operation at the Vertex Technology Corporation, located at the 23rd floor of Century Peak Tower in Manila, led to the arrest of 69 foreigners.
The foreigners – 34 Indonesians, 25 Chinese and 10 Malaysians – were, however, released after the Bureau of Immigration refused to take legal custody of them.
Among the issues that are being look into in relation to the operation, Fajardo said, was the alleged tampering of a close circuit television cameras (CCTV) by the PNP team leader and three of his men who purportedly redirected the CCTV camera so it cannot catch policemen who have to take their shirts off due to heat inside the building. The four have been earlier relieved.
A police report on the operation showed that the building’s air-conditioning system was turned off after the raid. Also, the building’s elevator was also shut down, forcing policemen to walk from the ground to the 23rd floor of the building.
There are also allegations of extortion against the policemen.
Fajardo said the allegations are expected in any police operation “to muddle the issue.” Hernia earlier described the allegation as “absurd and unfounded.”
“We owe it (investigation) to the people because a lot of accusations and allegations were propagated in different fora so the PNP leadership deemed it necessary to subject the regional director of NCRPO and director of ACG under administrative relief to give way to the investigation,” she said.
Fajardo said the investigators will determine whether there were operational protocols that were violated or not followed during the operation.
“We will have to check whether there are certain police operational procedures and protocols were not observed that would pave the way for the filing of administrative cases against those personnel responsible for this alleged violation of police protocols,” she also said.
Nevertheless, Fajardo said the operation was legitimate, noting that it was covered by a search warrant issued by a Manila court.
On Sunday, PNP chief Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil commended the ACG and the NCRPO for the successful operation against the “mother of all scam hubs.”
“This operation not only exposes the vast reach of illegal POGO activities but also reinforces the unwavering resolve of law enforcement to dismantle criminal networks, uphold public safety, and preserve the rule of law in every sector of cyber enforcement,” he also said.
Administration lawmakers led by the chairmen of the House quad committee yesterday filed a bill seeking to authorize the government to seize unlawfully acquired real estate properties by foreigners, particularly Chinese citizens who are running illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs).
Congressmen filed House Bill (HB) No. 11043, also known as the proposed “Civil Forfeiture Act,” to plug loopholes in the law being exploited by criminals in the POGO industry, who are also into human trafficking and illegal drugs.
The bill pointed out that many violators are connected to POGOs, which multiplied under the Duterte administration and was eventually banned by President Marcos Jr. because of involvement in criminal activities.
The bill was filed by quad committee chairmen Robert Ace Barbers of Surigao del Sur, Dan Fernandez of Sta. Rosa City, Bienvenido Abante Jr. of Manila, and Joseph Stephen Paduano (PL, Abang Lingkod), Senior Deputy Speaker Aurelio Gonzales Jr., and Deputy Speaker David Suarez.
The bill is also co-authored by Antipolo City Rep. Romeo Acop, vice chairman of the joint panel, and Reps. Johnny Pimentel of Surigao del Sur, Gerville Luistro of Batangas, Ramon Rodrigo Gutierrez (PL, 1-Rider), Francisco Paolo Ortega V of La Union, Jefferson Khonghun of Zambales, and Jonathan Keith Flores of Bukidnon.
The proposed Civil Forfeiture Act aims to strengthen the constitutional ban on foreign land ownership by zeroing in on individuals who circumvent constitutional restrictions using falsified documents.
“The continued violation to the provisions of our Constitution on alien land ownership cannot be allowed to continue. Thousands of aliens have been flocking to the Philippines to establish [POGOs] which has turned out to be closely linked to criminal activities, such as human trafficking and illegal drugs,” the bill said.
The Constitution prohibits foreign nationals from owning land except in cases of hereditary succession.
Article XII, Sections 7 and 8 of the 1987 Constitution specifically restrict private land ownership to Filipinos or corporations with at least 60 percent Filipino ownership.
In the course of the still ongoing quad committee investigation, lawmakers discovered that Chinese citizens were able secured fake birth certificates, passports and other official documents which allowing them to purchase land illegally.
Under the bill, any land transferred or conveyed to an unqualified foreign national would be deemed null and void and the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG), with support from the Department of Justice, would initiate civil forfeiture proceedings.
The quad committee last October 21 submitted to the OSG pertinent documents for the filing of complaints against Chinese citizens accused of using fake Filipino citizenship to acquire land and establish businesses in the Philippines.
“Moving forward, it is then imperative to never let such activities continue in the Philippines,” the bill said. “Thus, by reiterating existing policies against foreign land ownership, establishing the necessary framework for better enforcement, and allocating any forfeited real property for public use, we can curb corrupt practices, if not eliminate them altogether.”
The bill assumes that any real estate acquired by a foreign national is unlawfully acquired unless proven otherwise.
Forfeited agricultural lands would be distributed to eligible farmers under the Department of Agrarian Reform’s guidance while non-agricultural lands would be allocated for public services, such as schools and hospitals, or transferred to local governments for social service use.
The bill also seeks to improve monitoring and enforcement by involving local government units and the Land Registration Authority (LRA).
Local governments are tasked report any suspicious land transfers to the OSG, while the LRA will monitor transfers for compliance. – With Wendell Vigilia
