Senate panel eyes POGO 'big boss' presence in next hearing — Hontiveros

The Senate committee on women, children, family relations, and gender equality will invite Lin Xunhan a.k.a Lyu Dong, the alleged “big boss” or "kingpin" of illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) in the country, in the next hearing, Senator Risa Hontiveros said on Friday.

"Susulat din kami sa korte o mga korte na may hawak sa mga kaso laban sa kanya para padaluhin din siya dito sa huling pagdinig, itong si Pogo Boss Lyu Dong," Hontiveros said at a virtual press conference.

(We will write the courts that handle the case against Lyu Dong so he can attend the next hearing.)

While she tagged the arrest of Lin Xunhan as "good news," Hontiveros said there are still bigger bosses that should be brought to justice.

"Still, may mas malaking boss pa diyan na 'di pa napapanagot. And dapat din natin silang mahuli din at dapat silang managot sa kanilang krimen laban sa napakaraming inosenteng tao," Hontiveros said.

(There is still a bigger boss than him who is still at large. We should arrest them and they should be accountable for the crimes that they did against many innocent people.)

Last Tuesday, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian also said he wants Lin Xunhan to be present in the next Senate investigation because of possible "revelations about the POGO in Bamban and how Guo Hua Ping (Alice Guo) is related to him and the POGO operations."

Gatchalian said he believes that these "big bosses" are "interconnected" to other POGO hubs across the country.

Connection

Like Gatchalian, Hontiveros raised the need to look into the theories that Guo is connected with Lin Xunhan.

"Kung may mga teorya na may koneksyon din siya kay Guo Hua Ping, dapat po ma-establish po natin iyon at 'yung iba pang mga big bosses hindi pa nga naaresto tulad ni na Duanren Wu, ng Porac POGO Hub, si Zhang Jie at si Huang Ziyang na sinabi na ni Guo Hua Ping at lumabas sa aming imbestigasyon ay kasosyo niya dun sa Bamban POGO hub," Hontiveros said.

(If there are theories that he is connected to Guo Hua Ping, we should establish that, as well as the other big bosses who are still at large like Duanren Wu of the Porac POGO hub, Zhang Jie and Huang Ziyang who are established to be business partners of Guo in the Bamban POGO hub.)

"Itong lahat na mga ito ay kailangan namin ma-establish sino, ang mga may ugnayan sa isa't isa at anu-ano ang mga ito para mas makumpleto namin yung larawan sa aming imbestigasyon," she added.

(We should establish who are connected to each other and their involvement in POGO so we can complete the picture in our investigation.)

According to Hontiveros, one of Lin's aliases was already mentioned in the previous Senate hearings.

"Hindi po talaga bagong karakter ito sa larangan ng POGO dito sa Pilipinas," she said.

(He is not a new character in this POGO scene.)

Lin, also known as Lyu Dong, Boss Boga, Boss Apao, or Boss Bahaw, was arrested at a residential subdivision in Laguna on October 10.

One of the individuals who formerly worked for Lin saw dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo transacting with their boss. The witness said they knew Guo as “Madam Wah.”

Guo’s lawyer denied the allegations.

“Wala. Hindi niya kilala. Sabi niya sa akin hindi niya kilala,” said Guo’s legal counsel, Atty. Stephen David.

Guo, who is at the center of the Senate investigation on POGOs, is facing a qualified human trafficking case before a Pasig court as well as a graft case before a Valenzuela court.

A quo warranto petition was also filed against Guo with a Manila court, as well as a petition to cancel her birth certificate before a Tarlac court.

She is also facing a tax evasion complaint, 87 counts for money laundering, and a perjury and falsification complaint before the Department of Justice. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News