Dela Rosa: Ex-President Duterte can't be implicated in POGO mess

For Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa, former President Rodrigo Duterte cannot be implicated in the issue of the raided POGO hub in Bamban, Tarlac.

The senator made the remark amid Senator Risa Hontiveros' disclosure of documents that would link former presidential adviser Michael Yang to the POGO firms that were raided by authorities.

"I don’t think they can implicate the former good president. If they have the evidence, gawin nila. But I don’t think so na ma-implicate nila 'yan," Dela Rosa said in an interview with reporters Wednesday.

"By mere association lang, by mere association siguro dahil kilala niya si Michael Yang pero 'pag sabihin mo si President Duterte mismo ay involved sa kung meron mang ginagawang iligal 'yang certain Michael Yang na 'yan, kung mayroong ginawang ilegal, I don't think iko-condone ni Pangulong Duterte 'yan," he added.

Dela Rosa even recalled an order from Duterte "when they were still in Davao" to monitor the activities of the Chinese nationals in their city and conduct an operation if there are illegal activities.

"Taga-Davao 'yan e," Dela Rosa said, referring to Yang. "Honestly, wala akong nakita."

Duterte was Davao City Police chief when Duterte was still the mayor of the town.

If there are pieces of information on any illegal activities that Yang is supposedly involved in, these should be validated, Dela Rosa said.

A case should also be filed if there are "goods" against the former presidential adviser, he added.

Last week, Hontiveros floated the possibility that the people behind the raided Bamban POGO hub were the same people involved in the controversial Pharmally scandal during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Ang kumpanya ni [Mayor] Alice Guo, ang BAOFU, ay may direktang transaksyon sa joint account ng dalawang tao— ang isa si Yu Zheng Can, na incorporator ng Hong Sheng, ang POGO na ni-raid sa Bamban, Tarlac. Ang kasama niya sa account ay isang nagngangalang Hongjiang Yang," Hontiveros said in a press conference.

"Who is Hongjiang Yang, you may ask? Kapatid po siya ni Michael Yang. Yes, the same Michael Yang na dating economic presidential adviser kuno ni Duterte. In short, the money of Michael Yang's brother was used to fund HongSheng, the raided Bamban POGO," she added.

Further, Hontiveros shared that Yang is an incorporator of Full Win Group of Companies, a firm owned by Duterte's former presidential adviser, wherein Gerald Cruz is also an incorporator.

In the last Senate hearing, Hontiveros said that Cruz is an incorporator of Brickhartz Technologies Inc., an illegal POGO firm whose documents were seen in the raided Bamban POGO hub.

Cruz is also an incorporator of Pharmally Biological, according to Hontiveros.

Pharmally Biological is a firm that is being linked to Michael Yang. It was earlier reported as the sister company of Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corporation—the company that was involved in the government's procurement of alleged overpriced COVID-19 supplies.

According to Hontiveros, the Senate committee on women, children, family relations, and gender equality, which she chairs, will look into the dots that might possibly connect Duterte to the POGO operations in Bamban.

"Kung ma-establish namin na talagang may koneksyon si Michael Yang bukod sa kanyang kapatid, hindi lamang sa Pharmally – kundi dito sa POGO sa pamamagitan ng hindi lamang iisa, kundi iilang POGO companies na ang mga papeles ay nahahanap sa mga raided na POGO hub tulad sa Bamban, Tarlac then syempre — dahil naging mataas na adviser siya kay Duterte at malapit sa dating presidente, then of course, maitatanong din namin kung ano ang posibleng koneksyon ng dating presidente sa POGOs na ito," she previously said.

Responding to this, former presidential legal counsel Salvador Panelo said, "there is absolutely no factual and  legal bases to link FPRRD in any corrupt practice."

Meanwhile, Dela Rosa said banning POGOs should be considered as this is already "elevating to the level of national security issue."

"Nakikita na natin na may naging mayor 'di ba...Ngayon, Mayor [Alice] Guo tapos ngayon, meron na naman 'yung katakot-takot, kay dami pala na birth cert na na-issue para dito sa mga Chinese. Kasama pa don yung bayan ko, 'yung Sta. Cruz, Davao Del Sur," Dela Rosa noted.

"It’s become a national security threat already. Dapat talagang seryosohin na natin ito kung gusto natin na 'di tayo ma-compromise further, we have to stop it," he added.

Dela Rosa was referring to the case of about 1,200 fake birth certificates that were issued in the said town in Davao del Sur as reported by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).

The issue of fake birth certificates has been highlighted recently due to the case of suspended Mayor Alice Guo whose nationality was questioned due to her inconsistent testimonies on her identity and her dubious background.

While he said that there are also similar cases in other towns across the country, Dela Rosa said it would be unbelievable if money was not involved in the processing of these fake birth certificates.

"Kung ganon, alam mong 'di Pilipino tapos bibigyan mo ng ganong papeles, nobody will believe you na napaikutan ka o ano. Talagang you give in to the temptation of corruption," he said.

"Very highly irregular. Saka sa dami, 2013 pa daw nag-start 'yan, 2013 pa nag-start 'yung processing ng papel na yan," he added.

Dela Rosa, who said the local civil registrar in Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur is a brother of his high school classmate, said the latter should divulge who processed these fake birth certificates if he will be called to attend the Senate investigation to testify on the matter.

"Sabihin niya kung sino nagpa-process. Kasi 'di naman individually pupunta dun-- isang Intsik, isang Chinese na pupunta don na magprocess. Mayrong tao 'yan na by bulk nagdadala dun sa kanya na nagpaprocess. Dapat tumbukin niya 'yon para kasama 'yon sa makakasuhan," he said.

A resolution has already been filed to investigate the "proliferation" of these fake birth certificates amid Guo's case.

The National Bureau of Investigation earlier disclosed that Guo has the same fingerprints as Chinese national Guo Hua Ping.

The Senate blue ribbon committee has already opened the investigation into the fake birth certificates and government IDs that were issued, particularly to foreign nationals.—AOL, GMA Integrated News