SENATORS continue to press for the shutdown of all Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) in the country amid the numerous illegal activities linked to industry players, especially those owned by Chinese nationals.
The Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations, and Gender Equality, chaired by Sen. Risa Hontiveros, has announced that it will hold another hearing on the supposed crimes related to the illegal operation of POGOs after an executive session with officials of the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) on June 26.
During the closed-door session, AMLC officials are expected to brief Hontiveros and other committee members on the more than P6.1 billion fund supposedly used to construct the POGO facility in Bamban.
Gatchalian has said that the Bamban POGO hub “is no small development” since it was built on a 10-hectare lot, where a “shopping mall” and condominium units located in 37 buildings were built.
Gatchalian also said that even the contractor of the facilities remains unknown since its given address in Binondo, Manila was not is real business address.
“The concerning part is, government did not detect anything in terms of money flows… When we were doing our own investigation, we couldn’t find any trace on how the P6.1 billion landed on our shores. We couldn’t find any trace on who built the facilities,” Gatchalian has said.
Aside from the Bamban POGO, Gatchalian is now training his eye on the POGO hub in Porac, Pampanga that was raised by operatives of the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) two weeks ago.
Gatchalian, in an advisory, said he will conduct an ocular inspection today on
Lucky South 99 that is now the subject of ongoing operations by the PAOCC.
PAOCC has said that it raided the PORAC hub based on a tip that it was engaged in human trafficking, with some foreign employees either being subjected to torture or sold for sex
Gatchalian will be joined by PAOCC operatives during the ocular inspection.
The PAOCC has said that the POGO firm raided and shut down by operatives in Bamban, Tarlac is connected with the hub in Porac.
A lawyer for Lucky South 99 over the weekend denied that the firm was doing business without a valid license.
Lawyer Jovito Barte, during the weekly Kapihan sa QC at the Mangan Tila Restaurant on Scout Torillo S.t., said Lucky South 99 had a probational license from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor). The license, though, was allegedly revoked by Pagcor last May 22, days before the PAOCC raided the hub’s compound.
Barte said that at the time of the raid, Lucky South 99 has stopped operating and was winding down its affairs.
“Those who had experience managing a huge company know it takes some time to terminate the services of employees, pay off the suppliers, and settle the company’s debts and other obligations,” Barte said.
Barte said the PAOCC raid was was illegal, noting the operations was based on two warrants of arrest.
The first was recalled because of procedural infirmities, he pointed, which he said prompted the PAOCC to secure a second search warrant.
But “the second search warrant cannot correct the defect of the first,” Barte stressed.
He also said that the estimated 150 foreign workers who were arrested during the operations were arrested without proper warrants, and that the arrests were made in the surrounding areas, not inside the compound.
“There was no indication that they had committed any crime,” Barte said, “Therefore, keeping them in jail is tantamount to arbitrary detention.”
He said the PAOCC violated the rules when it proceeded with the search and seizure operation without any company representative present.
The PAOCC had declared it had seized P40 million in cash from the premises but has not yet provided the company with an inventory of the items seized, as provided for under the law.
Barte also said a large number of cellular phones seized during the raid was integral to the company’s operation. He also suggested the two men found with bruises on their body may have been the victims of a gang war, noting that in a community of 7,000 employees living in one compound, violence is bound to happen, but the company has nothing to do with it.
Until its license was revoked, Barte said the company has been religiously remitting $200,000 a month to Pagcor. So far, it has paid Pagcor $300 million for the privilege of operating as an internet gaming company.
COPS
Meanwhile, PNP chief Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil yesterday warned policemen against protecting the operation of illegal POGOs, adding that any policeman who will be found involved in illegal POGO operations will be severely dealt with.
Marbil reminded all PNP personnel that it is their duty to uphold the law and maintain the highest standards of integrity, particularly concerning POGOs.
“Integrity and accountability are the cornerstones of our public service. We remain committed to ensuring that our officers uphold these values,” Marbil said.
“This policy serves as a reminder: engage in illegal activities, and you will be dealt with accordingly,” he added.
PAOCC police operatives have raided numerous illegal POGOs in the past years following reports of their involvement in various crimes, including trafficking and kidnapping.
The latest illegal POGO to be raided was the Lucky South 99 in Porac in Pampanga, leading to the rescue of nearly 200 foreigners and Filipino workers.
This also prompted the relief of the provincial and city police chiefs, pending investigation for their possible negligence that allowed the illegal POGO hub to operate.
“These operations have led to numerous arrests, seizure of illicit equipment, and significant disruption of unlawful activities, reinforcing the PNP’s dedication to eradicating illegal gambling,” the PNP Public Information Office said in a statement.
Marbil commended the PNP units, specifically the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group and the Anti-Cybercrime Group, in the campaign against illegal POGOs.
“Their strategic planning and effective execution have safeguarded the public and demonstrated the PNP’s capability to tackle complex criminal networks,” said Marbil.
At the same time, PAOCC spokesman Winston John Casio yesterday said the commission believes they have a strong case against suspended Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo and 13 others for human trafficking that the PAOCC and the PNP filed last Friday before the justice department.
Authorities have linked Guo to a “grand conspiracy to commit labor trafficking” of 500 foreign POGO workers who were rescued during the raid last March 13.
Casio said it took them a long while to file the case because they want to make sure they have a strong case. “Our efforts will go to waste if we rush it and then it will be dismissed later,” he said.
Casio said they are “fairly confident” that the panel of prosecutors involved in the preliminary investigation will appreciate the evidence the PAOCC and the PNP presence and subsequently refer the case to the court.
“Hopefully an arrest warrant will be issued so Filipinos will see that if you committed a crime with regards to scamming and you’re an enabler, you will be held accountable. That’s the right word for the mayor, she is an enabler,” said Casio. — With Victor Reyes
