SENATE deputy minority leader Risa Hontiveros yesterday said dismissed Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo, whose Chinese name is Guo Hua Ping, identified “less than” 10 Filipinos and Chinese who are allegedly behind the illegal operation of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) hubs in the country during the executive session last Tuesday.
Hontiveros, who is the chairperson of the Committee on Women investigating crimes linked to the offshore gaming industry, said they will verify the names.
“Halong totoo, halong di totoo. So, pati yung mga pangalan ay sinisigurado pa namin. Kaya hindi ko mabilang kasi hindi ko alam kung alin doon ang totoo at ilan ang hindi totoo ([Her information] were a mix of truths and lies. We still need to verify the names. That’s why I still cannot tell how many names were mentioned because we don’t know which ones are real and which are not),” she said in a press conference.
“Basta kapag na-finalize namin ‘yung committee report, sasabihin namin kung sino doon ‘yung tingin talaga namin, hindi lang batay sa sinabi niya pero batay pa sa iba pa naming makakalap na mga ebidensya, ang mga perpetrators ng POGO dito sa Pilipinas, ang mga kasabwat sa pagtakas niya (Once we finalize the committee report, we will identify who they are based not only on what Guo said but based also on the evidence that we have gathered… [We will identify] who are the POGO operators here and who aided her [Guo] escape),” she also said.
Hontiveros said some of the names mentioned by Guo were not new and have been mentioned in the previous committee hearings.
“Wala ring masyadong maraming bago. May ilan na mga kapirasong sinusubukan pa naming i-follow up in open hearing (There was almost nothing new. There are bits of information that we are already trying to follow-up in open hearing),” she said.
Saying that the two executive sessions with Guo were “completely not worth it,” Hontiveros said they would no longer meet with her behind closed doors.
MASLOG, FAELDON
Hontiveros said she will schedule another hearing on the POGO issue after her committee’s hearing on the complaints of former members of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) against pastor Apollo Quiboloy.
She said new information came out during the hearing last Tuesday.
She said panel members are still discussing if they will invite former Customs Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon in the next hearing after his name was mentioned by Mary Ann Maslog, who now goes by the name Dr. Jessica Francisco, who was allegedly frequently seen in Bamban, Tarlac.
Guo, during the hearing, said Faeldon allegedly has a goat farm in Bamban.
CHINESE SPY
Hontiveros said the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is still coordinating with the Philippine embassy in Bangkok to establish contact with She Zhijiang, a wanted man in China who is now jailed in Thailand and who has said in an Al Jazeera documentary that Guo is a Chinese spy.
But Senate President Francis Escudero, at the Kapihan sa Senado media forum, said She’s statement should not be believed immediately and urged intelligence agencies to verify his allegations.
“Isa ‘yan sa dapat i-pursue ng authorities, hindi na trabaho ng Senate ‘yan na ipatawag o magpadala ng team doon (That is one information that needs to be pursued by local authorities since it is no longer the job of the Senate to summon him or send a team there in Thailand),” he said.
Escudero said it is hard to use the offense of espionage against Guo since that law only applies when the Philippines is at war with other nations, and if some information concerning national security have been stolen.
“Kaya nga nais muling tignan ng DND ang ating Anti-Espionage Law dahil sa totoo lang, wala yatang batas, kung di ako nagkakamali, na nagpaparusa sa isang spy (That’s why the Department of National Defense wants a review of our Anti-Espionage Law because there is no law that penalizes a person for being a spy, if I am not mistaken),” he added.
Hontiveros said establishing contact with She is important so the Philippine government can directly ask questions regarding his allegation that Guo is a spy.
“It is regrettable if we cannot establish contact with She… because there were information, during our ocular inspection in the raided POGO hub in Bamban, that the facility was used to intercept government communications and hacking of Philippine websites,” she said in Filipino.
INVENTORY
Senate minority leader Aquilino Pimentel III yesterday urged the government to conduct a thorough inventory of its properties following reports that a recently raided illegal POGO hub in Pasay City was situated on land owned by a government entity.
“We need to ensure that the government is not unwittingly and indirectly becoming a partner of POGO operations. If there’s even a single POGO hub that is operating on government land, it would send the wrong signal and weaken the government’s campaign against POGOs,” Pimentel said in a statement.
He was referring to a POGO hub found at the Kimberhi building on Macapagal avenue which the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) said was used as a center for love scam and cryptocurrency scamming.
It was located about 650 meters away from the Senate on a property owned by the Philippine National Construction Corporation.
“We should be mindful of where these POGO operators are operating. We must ensure that no government land is leased or rented to POGOs,” Pimentel said.
CEBU POGO
Police operatives apprehended 38 foreign nationals, believed to be Chinese, during a raid of an illegal POGO hub in Moalboal town in Cebu on Wednesday afternoon.
The Central Visayas police regional office Brig. Gen. Anthony Aberin said the intelligence-driven operation was part of their effort to end POGOs which he described as “menace.”
Lawmen swooped down at the POGO hub, located at an isolated resort in Barangay Saavedra in Moalboal, leading to the apprehension of the 38 “undocumented foreign nationals.”
Policemen said the 38 are “believed to be Chinese nationals” based on initial investigation.
The operation also resulted in the seizure of numerous computers and gadgets.
Police said the operation was conducted in collaboration with the Moalboal municipal government and Bureau of Fire Protection-Moalboal.
“Initial information relayed by the chief of police reveals that the foreigners exclusively rented the place since September 28, 2024 under highly suspicious circumstances,” the Central Visayas police said in a statement.
“Acquiring this information, the composite team initiated the inspection and visitation,” it added.
It said an “extensive investigation” is underway.
“PRO 7’s (Police Regional Office 7) strong stand against POGO, POGO-like activities and all illegal activities will continue and will remain unwavering,” said Aberin.
“With the help of the LGUs, other agencies and the community, let us make Central Visayas free from this type of menace which destroys families and our country”, added Aberin. — With Victor Reyes