THE chief of police of Porac town in Pampanga has been ordered relieved from her post pending a thorough investigation into the illegal operation of a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) hub in her area of jurisdiction.
PNP spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo said Lt. Col. Palmyra Guardaya was relieved as Porac police chief by Central Luzon police director Brig. Gen. Jose Hidalgo Jr “to give way to the ongoing investigation that seeks to determine if there was negligence on her side” in relation to the continued operation of the POGO hub Lucky South 99.
Fajardo said Guardaya’s deputy had been designated as the officer in chief of Porac police station.
The Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) reported on Wednesday that it rescued 158 foreigners, mostly Chinese, and 36 Filipinos during a “raid” supposedly conducted last Tuesday on the premises of the Lucky South 99, which it said was located in Angeles City.
Fajardo said the license of Lucky South 99 was already canceled by the government late last year.
“This means that from last year until (last Tuesday), it is illegally operating. How come it operated that long without the necessary license?” asked Fajardo, adding: “If there are crimes happening in their area, how come they were not able to detect such illegal activities?”
Aside from Guardaya, Fajardo said the local government of Porac should also be asked how the firm continued to operate without a permit.
The PAOCC earlier said the raid was prompted by reports of alleged human trafficking at the POGO hub.
Yesterday, PAOCC spokesman Winston John Casio clarified that authorities were not able to enter the POGO hub after the search warrant earlier issued by a Bulacan judge was canceled by the same judge.
Casio said the warrant was issued last Tuesday afternoon. When they went to the firm to enforce the warrant, the compound was locked and the lights were off. He said the conduct of the raid and rescue operations were apparently leaked but did not elaborate.
He said no one was around to receive the warrant, thus the raiding team “canceled” the warrant’s implementation.
Casio said the Bulacan judge canceled the search warrant on Wednesday morning on the ground that the items that should be seized were supposedly not stated in the original warrant. On Wednesday afternoon, Casio said the judge denied the PAOCC application for a new warrant.
“So we were not able to enter, we only secured the perimeter,” said Casio, adding that PNP personnel are still in the area while they are trying to secure another warrant from another judge.
The foreigners and Filipinos in the custody of the PAOCC, according to Casio, were “rescued” outside of the compound.
Fajardo said one of the rescued foreigners was kidnapped last June 2. She said the foreigner was held at the compound after failing to pay a P300,000 ransom.
She said the foreigner was still in handcuffs and had bruises when she was rescued.
Casio said the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) canceled the permits of some 402 POGOs last year, but “based on our monitoring, of the 402, many are still operating, almost a hundred of them are still operational up to now.”
