Law enforcers, politicians, foreign syndicates behind Pogos–intel report
Members of law enforcement agencies, politicians, and businessmen have been linked to the illegal activities of Philippine offshore and gaming operators (Pogos), Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian said.
In a radio interview over the weekend, Gatchalian declined to provide more details as he was bound by the rules of the executive session.
“I could not give the details yet but based on information from our intelligence agencies, there is really a connection between enforcement agencies and politicians, even businessmen,” he said, adding:
“Let’s look at Tony Yang. He’s a businessman. That’s why the information jives. We’re getting information but (we cannot divulge it) because we are bound by the executive session.”
Yang is the elder brother of Chinese businessman Michael Yang, who was former President Rodrigo Duterte’s economic adviser. He is connected with the illegal online gaming facility allegedly owned by dismissed Mayor Alice Guo in her hometown of Bamban, Tarlac.
Yang, also known as Yang Jian Xin, is the latest major character in government custody in the monthslong congressional inquiry into illegal activities linked to Pogos, which have been exposed in both the Senate and the House of Representatives.
Agents from the Bureau of Immigration and the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) arrested the 54-year-old Chinese national last Thursday night at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport after he arrived on a flight from Cagayan de Oro City.
Foreign syndicates
During one of the Senate hearings on Pogos in June, Gatchalian said that law enforcement authorities had found that foreign syndicates had been funding Pogos and working with local criminal groups in connivance with local politicians and businessmen.
Gatchalian said the information was disclosed by top officials of law enforcement and regulatory agencies during an executive session as part of the probe investigation Pogos and the alleged involvement of Guo.
“It creeped me out. Our intelligence agencies confirmed what we were afraid of—that the root of this Pogo is getting deeper. It’s deep, which means that their influence extends to politicians, enforcement agencies,” Gatchalian said in a previous interview.
Sen. Risa Hontiveros intends to continue investigating the illegal activities of Pogos and will still require the presence of Guo even after she posted bail for graft before a Valenzuela City court.
“She will be compelled to face the congressional hearings because she is currently facing contempt charges before the Senate and the House of Representatives,” she said in a statement.
Guo’s failure to attend hearings for the Senate panel’s investigation of crimes related to Pogo hubs led to her being cited in contempt by the panel.
Guo posted bail of P540,000 for graft and corruption charges last Friday before the Valenzuela City Regional Trial Court Branch 282, a case transferred from the Tarlac Regional Trial Court Branch 109.
She was charged with graft because of a complaint filed by the Department of the Interior and Local Government regarding her alleged involvement in the raided Pogo hub in Bamban, Tarlac.
She is also facing a quo warranto case before a Manila court that challenges her eligibility to hold public office due to her nationality. According to documents presented in the Senate hearings and verified by the National Bureau of Investigation, Guo is a Chinese citizen identified as Guo Hua Ping.
Hontiveros acknowledged that Guo, or Guo Hua Ping, has the right to post bail.
“But the investigation will continue. Nothing will change,” she said.
“She’s still facing non-bailable human trafficking charges. Until the court proves her innocence, she will remain in detention,” the senator added.
