House POGO probe to call ex-Pagcor chief Domingo, Roque

The House joint committee probing crimes linked to POGOs has sought the appearance of ex-PAGCOR chair Andrea Domingo, former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque, and former TLRC official Dennis Cunanan as resource persons.

The committee, composed of the Public Order and Safety panel and the Games and Amusements panel, approved Lanao del Sur lawmaker Zia Alonto Adiong's motion to invite the three to the inquiry.

“The degree of the problems we are facing now…considering national security and the violations [by POGOs], we really need to hear the testimony of these individuals. I really want them to appear in this committee hearing so we can ask the questions that need to be addressed,” he said. 

Domingo was PAGCOR chief when the license was granted to POGOs in Bamban, Tarlac and in Porac, Pampanga that were recently raided by authorities. 

The current PAGCOR chairman, Al Tengco, earlier told Senate probe that Roque accompanied a Katherine Cassandra Li Ong, the authorized representative of Lucky South 99 POGO in Porac, to a meeting in his office to discuss the "problems" about the POGO firm's billing from PAGCOR.

Roque was no longer a public official when the meeting happened. In a statement, he said he is not and has never been the legal counsel of any illegal POGO and was neither a counsel of Lucky South 99. He said he accompanied Ong to the meeting "because I thought Lucky South—Whirlwind’s principal—was a victim of estafa. By way of accommodation, I joined Ms. Ong since I was then persuading Whirlwind to invest in two energy projects of which I was the primary proponent."

Cunanan, on the other hand, introduced himself as the "authorized representative" for the Hong Sheng POGO in Bamban and the Lucky South POGO in Porac, according to documents earlier released by Senator Risa Hontiveros. 

Cunanan, who has two previous criminal convictions in connection with the pork barrel scam cases, also previously said that he was contracted as an independent consultant to help the companies register for possible POGO operations, adding that the companies at that time were “properly and legally registered.”

“The proliferation of illegal POGOs and their associated crimes is a serious threat to our society. It is imperative that we work together to eliminate these operations and protect the welfare of both our citizens and foreign workers," Cavite lawmaker and House games and amusement panel chairperson Antonio Ferrer added.

Tengco also said that as a result of recent raids, the state-run regulatory body will not be allowing POGO businesses in compounds anymore. — BM, GMA Integrated News