Senators want ex-Cabinet official who lobbied for illegal POGOs named

Senators are calling on the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) to reveal the identity of the former high ranking government official who "tried to facilitate the grant of gaming licenses to some of the illegal POGOs that have been recently raided and found engaged in illegal activities."

Senate President Francis "Chiz" Escudero led the call and stressed the need to identify if the former official violated any laws.

"PAGCOR should name the 'official!' If not, [the] committee chaired and headed by Senators [Risa] Hontiveros and [Sherwin] Gatchalian should unmask this official--so that not all 'former high ranking cabinet officials' will be looked upon with suspicion-- and find out if he/she violated any laws," the Senate chief said.

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III shared a similar stance on PAGCOR's revelation, saying the PAGCOR should reveal the identity of the person so it would be fair to all former Cabinet members and the person involved can defend himself.

Deputy Minority Leader Risa Hontiveros, who's been leading the Senate investigation into the raided POGOs, stressed the need for PAGCOR chairman and CEO Alejandro Tengco to attend the hearing himself to "reveal what he knows."

"I hope the PAGCOR chief deems it the right forum to reveal what he knows. Umaasa ako na si Chair Tengco mismo ang dadating sa susunod na pagdinig at hindi na ang mga kinatawan niya lang," she stressed.

Despite this revelation, Hontiveros reiterated that all POGOs, regardless if it's legal or illegal, "cause numerous crimes that put women, children, and vulnerable people at risk."

"Whoever that ex-Cabinet official turns out to be, the fact remains: POGOs are being used as a legal cover for scam hubs. Napatunayan na ng imbestigasyon sa Senado na kahit pa may ligal na lisensya mula mismo sa PAGCOR, may mga criminal activities pa rin na nangyayari sa POGO (The Senate investigation has proven that even licensed POGOs are involved in criminal activities)," she said.

"Kaya huwag nang pag-ibahin ng PAGCOR ang illegal POGO sa legal POGO," she added.

Meanwhile, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian called Tengco's latest revelation as "deeply alarming."

For Gatchalian, this "proves POGOs' link to high government officials."

"Any conflicts of interest or breaches of legal and ethical standards must be fully addressed with the utmost severity. PAGCOR must disclose all information and reveal other personalities involved to aid in the ongoing investigations," he said.

Gatchalian also stressed the need to hold accountable the government officials involved in illegal and criminal activities.

"Sila, na pinagkakatiwalaan nating mamuno nang may integridad, ay may mas mataas na responsibilidad na magpakita ng tuwid at tamang asal. Ang anumang paglabag sa batas mula sa kanilang hanay ay isang pagtataksil sa tiwala ng bayan," he said.

(These officials, whom we trusted to lead with integrity, have the bigger responsibility to do what is right. Any violation of laws on their part is a betrayal of public trust.)

Senator Joel Villanueva, a staunch critic of POGOs, also urged PAGCOR to name the involved former official.

"Wala naman po tayo sa showbiz kaya hindi naman kailangan magpa-blind item. Kailangan pong malaman ng taumbayan ang katotohanan at panagutin ang mga nagtutulak sa bayan sa kumunoy ng kaguluhan," he said. 

(We are not in the show business that's why there's no need for blind items. The public needs to know the truth and hold accountable those who were behind this.) 

This latest revelation prompted Villanueva to ask, "shouldn’t it be enough proof to permanently ban POGOs in the country?"

"They have infiltrated not only the business and gaming industries but also our government, allegedly with local and even high-ranking officials serving as their protectors. Our duty as public servants is not to protect these illegal activities, but to put our people’s welfare as our main priority," he stressed.

House dangerous drugs panel chairperson Robert Ace Barbers echoed the senators’ call to drop names and urged the PAGCOR chief to cooperate with congressional investigations on POGO.

“POGOs, whether licensed, legitimate, or illegal are nothing but fronts for criminal activities. Ranging from money laundering, drug trafficking, human trafficking, protecting criminal syndicates engaged in murders, kidnapping, torture, rape and up to engaging in POGO politics, name it and surely it is all there,” he said.

“POGO is the one stop shop of criminal activities. If we continue to allow their operations, we will all be consumed by its corrupt and criminal system until it becomes the accepted norm and our society becomes worthless.  POGOs are a curse that have to be taken out from our system," he added.

Barbers said the government should stay vigilant since citizens in Southeast Asian countries, who can enter the Philippines without visa, can easily replace Chinese POGO workers.

The Bureau of Immigration (BI), Barbers said, should not be giving working visas in exchange for bribes, just like what happened in the pastillas scam. 

“We have seen the unabated influx of Chinese who were given student and retirees visas by the Bureau of Immigration and the Philippine Retirement Authority. We are not done yet with our investigations so I am warning these agencies not to extend working visas to these new arrivals who are being used to replace Chinese employees in the POGOs,” Barbers said.

“The same is true with PAGCOR. If it is proven that all those raided POGOs engaged in criminal activities have been licensed, or that other licensed POGOs being protected and sponsored by some influential and notorious characters are found to be havens for criminal activities, we will make sure that those negligent, incompetent, and corrupt will be punished,” he said.

Over the weekend, Tengco said he would reveal in a proper forum the identity of the former Cabinet member.

He added that he would also unveil the circumstances that led to the proliferation of illegal and criminal offshore gaming operations in the country.

The Senate committee on women, children, family relations, and gender equality has been investigating several illegal POGOs in the country, including the latest raided POGO hubs in Bamban, Tarlac, Porac Pampanga, among others.

The Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Council recently said that around 300 POGOs are illegally operating in the country.—with a report from Llanesca T. Panti/AOL, GMA Integrated News