Pogo probe: CA freezes accounts of Guo, others

The Court of Appeals (CA) has ordered the freezing of the assets of suspended Mayor Alice Guo of Bamban, Tarlac, and several other individuals and companies allegedly involved in illegal Philippine offshore gaming operators (Pogos), the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) said on Thursday.

According to a statement from the AMLC shared by Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian with reporters late Thursday, the July 10 freeze order encompasses a wide range of assets, including 90 bank accounts across 14 financial institutions, several real properties and high-value personal properties, such as luxury vehicles and a helicopter.

“The Court of Appeals has approved the AMLC’s ex parte petition for the issuance of a freeze order, effectively freezing the assets of individuals and entities allegedly involved in these illegal activities,” the AMLC said.

“This decisive action aims to prevent the dissipation of assets while the investigation and legal proceedings continue,” it said.

It said that it filed a petition for the freeze order on July 8.

The amount of bank accounts and assets ordered frozen was not disclosed by the AMLC, whose officials could not immediately be reached for comment and other details.

In a Viber message to reporters, Gatchalian disclosed that Guo has 36 bank accounts under her name.

Apart from Guo’s, also included in the AMLC’s petition are assets of Zhiyang Huang, and Baoying Lin, who are “suspected of orchestrating human trafficking and fraudulent activities through entities such as Zun Yuan Technology Inc., Baofu Land Development Inc., and Hongsheng Gaming Technology Inc.”

The Baofu Land property, which was partly owned by the Bamban mayor, was the site of the Zun Yuan Pogo operation that was raided last March by the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) for suspected human trafficking, among other criminal activities it was allegedly engaged in.

The AMLC said the premises of Baofu Land housed numerous workers, including trafficked individuals, who were forced to participate in fraudulent online activities.

Guo and several other people were accused of qualified human trafficking in a complaint filed in the Department of Justice by the PAOCC last month.

The AMLC did not identify other people or companies whose assets were frozen, but those who were named respondents in the qualified human trafficking case were former government official and pork barrel scam convict Dennis Cunanan, Zhang Ruijin, Baoying Lin, Rachelle Joan Carreon, Huang Zhiyang, Thelma Laranan, Rowena Evangelista, Rita Yturralde, Merlie Joy Castro, Yu Zheng Can, Jaimielyn Cruz, Roderick Paul Pujante and Juan Miguel Alpas.

Suspended

The Ombudsman suspended Guo late in May based on a graft complaint filed by the Department of the Interior and Local Government.

“The investigation uncovered significant financial transactions and assets amassed by these individuals, raising suspicions of their involvement in money laundering, human trafficking, and other illicit operations,” the AMLC said.

“The illicit activities linked to these individuals and entities include the operation of an unauthorized Pogo at Zun Yuan Technology Inc,” it said.

The freeze order comes in the wake of a Senate inquiry into Pogo activities, which Guo has stopped participating in after appearing in a few hearings.

Senate no-show

Guo faces Senate arrest after she twice refused to attend hearings called by the Senate committee on women, children, family relations and gender equality headed by Sen. Risa Hontiveros.

The suspended mayor requested to be excused from the hearings, claiming worsening mental health and physical condition. She also appealed to the Supreme Court to stop the Senate summons, saying that Hontiveros and her committee violated her constitutional rights and her right to due process and privacy.

Hontiveros said Guo had the right to seek legal remedy from the Supreme Court, “even if she is not a Filipino.”

The senator last month said Guo was not a Filipino but a Chinese whose fingerprints matched that of a Chinese girl who entered the country more than 20 years ago.

Both Guo’s and the child’s fingerprints matched, according to the National Bureau of Investigation.

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Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III on Thursday repeated his call to shut down all Pogos to end all the crimes and other social problems this industry had created after it boomed during the Duterte administration.

“There is really a shortcut to all these problems with the Pogos,” he said in a statement. “President Bongbong Marcos should simply order Pagcor (Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp.) and other government agencies to stop Pogo operation here in the Philippines.”

Linked to crimes

The Pogo industry has been linked to murders, kidnappings, online scams, human trafficking, torture, money laundering and other serious crimes mostly involving Chinese nationals as both perpetrators and victims.

“Stop giving licenses and permits. Give the legal ones one month to wind down their operations,” he said. “Say goodbye to Pogo.”

Pagcor is still pushing for legal Pogo operations for the revenue they generate.

As early as September last year, the Senate committee on ways and means, which includes Pimentel, recommended a permanent Pogo ban.

Sen. Joel Villanueva praised the Department of Finance and the National Economic and Development Authority for also recommending the shutdown of all Pogo operations.

“It’s about time,” he said in a statement.

He added that the position of economic managers regarding Pogos should be discussed in the next Cabinet meeting with President Marcos.

“There is no amount equivalent to the rampant crimes being linked to the Pogo operations. We owe it to the people as public servants to prioritize their welfare and safety over any danger,” he said. —WITH A REPORT FROM INQUIRER RESEARCH