Pampanga town execs cleared of Pogo links still liable for graft
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, PAMPANGA—Suspended Porac Mayor Jaime Capil is not yet off the hook even after House of Representatives quad committee chair Rep. Robert Ace Barbers issued a certification clearing the official from involvement in the now shuttered Philippine offshore gaming operator (Pogo) hub in his town, the spokesperson of the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) said.
PAOCC spokesperson Winston Casio, on Saturday, said that “although we respect the findings of the House of Representatives’ quad committee on the supposed absence of liability of the Porac [local government unit], the Commission stands by its own findings that led to the filing of graft charges against Mayor Capil.”
Casio’s reaction was sought by the Inquirer in the wake of Barbers’ certification, dated Feb. 11, which read: “In so far as our exhaustive investigations done in aid of legislation regarding with the [Pogo], being undertaken by the Joint Committee in the House of Representatives, especially on illegal Pogo operations in Porac, Pampanga, more particularly on the illegal operations of Lucky South [99 Outsourcing Inc.], we found no involvement whatsoever nor any wrongdoing committed by Mayor Jaime C. Capil.”
The quad committee chair said the certification was issued upon the request of Capil “for any legal purpose it may serve.”
Vindication
Capil immediately called for a press conference on Wednesday to present Barbers’ certification.
“This is a vindication on our part,” Capil told reporters. “It’s a relief to us.”
He said he sought the certification after the quad committerreport “did not mention my name or recommend anything against me.”
The councilors of Porac who were suspended along with Capil also obtained their individual certification.
Not a court
“This has big impact. It will prove that we had not done any wrongdoing,” Capil said, adding he hoped it would end all allegations that said he neglected his duties as mayor.
Mike Tapang, a former provincial board member who is running against Capil’s reelection bid this May, however maintained that the certificate issued by Barbers does not guarantee the dismissal of legal cases filed against the mayor.
“This doesn’t mean he is not guilty of criminal activities. The quad comm hearing if in aid of legislation. The hearing in court is to determine if the official is at fault or not. The quad comm is not a court,” Tapang explained.
Lawyer Ernesto Tindero of the PAOCC and Lt. Col. Joel Quintero of the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group filed a complaint against Capil, Vice Mayor Francis Laurence Tamayo, seven councilors and business permit and licensing office head Emerald Salonga Vital for violations of Republic Act No. 3019 (Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act) on Oct. 14, 2024.
The complaint claimed the respondent local officials had knowledge and permitted the operation of the Pogo hub, which was latter linked to human trafficking and online scams.
The complaint attached affidavits on the absence of a Letter of No Objection for the operation of a Pogo hub in the town since 2021; the presence of 80 Chinese workers in the area as early as 2020; and the granting of business permits that were based on the employment of seven persons reported to the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp., despite the construction of 46 buildings on a fenced 10-hectare property within the Grand Pallazo Royale at the boundary of Porac and Angeles City.
The complaint claimed that Capil and Vital “failed to reply or even take action therein and continued to grant business permits thereafter without inspecting the premises.”
The PAOCC led the raid on Lucky South 99 in June last year over alleged cyber scamming, forced labor and torture. It also raided the Pogo hub of Zun Yuan Technology Inc. in nearby Bamban town in Tarlac last March over similar issues.
Last October, the Office of the Ombudsman served a six-month preventive suspension on Capil, nine other elected officials and Vital for gross neglect of duty in connection with the alleged criminal activities of Lucky South.
