Porac mayor denies being POGO protector

Porac, Pampanga Mayor Jaime Capil on Monday refuted allegations that he is a protector of a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) hub in his town which was raided due to alleged illegal activities such as human trafficking and kidnapping.

During the flag raising ceremony in the municipal hall, Capil, who spoke in Kapampangan, said that no mayor’s permit was actually issued to the Lucky South 99 compound for this year. 

He revealed that the hub was among those establishments in the negative list of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) as it failed to comply with the mandatory requirements for the renewal of the mayor’s permit. 

"Parang sinasabi nila na nagiging protector tayo ng mga POGO. Paano tayo magiging protector eh 'yung simple violation na puwede na nating palampasin, pero hindi natin pinalagpas para compliant dito sa kailangang i-comply," he said.

(It's as if they were saying that we are a protector of POGO. How can we be a protector when we don't let even their simple violation pass.)

In a statement, Capil condemned the heinous crimes that happened in the POGO compound which was raided by the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) last week. 

“We fully condemn any act of torture, violence or any form of crime within our territory. Be assured that we are cooperating with the PAOCC, PNP and all authorities in combating all forms of crimes, torture or illegal acts in what should have been legitimate Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) operations and activities,” he said. 

“As the local chief executive, we continue to ensure that peace and order is a priority and cooperate with the PAOCC, PNP, and all agencies involved, employing all available means legally permissible to us,” he added.

Authorities have discovered evidence of torture in the POGO hub, including materials such as baseball bat and electric rods used for electrocuting people.

PAOCC also reported a woman who was tortured and sold through online bidding for sexual services inside the compound.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) Special Action Force has also rescued a Chinese man after they saw him walking outside the compound handcuffed to a bed frame.

Aside from multiple bruises and wounds throughout his body, the Chinese also had a black eye on his left eye. His clothes were also covered in dried blood. The police said he was a kidnapping victim.

According to the Porac Public Information Office, during the PAOCC’s rescue operation of the victims, there was also an investigation “on the basis of a prior inspection that Capil himself ordered” as required by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR). 

Forty buildings in the complex were also noted and found to have corresponding building permits. 

PAOCC spokesperson Winston John Casio said that only 15 out of 46 buildings in the complex were searched so far. 

No evidence

Casio also said that there is no evidence to show that Mayor Capil is a protector of POGO. The PAOCC official thus asked the public, specifically vloggers, to produce contents regarding the matter responsibly.

“Wala namang patunay eh, wala pang ebidensya na magpapatunay na si alkalde ay protektor niyan. Wala namang ebidensya,” he said in a Super Radyo dzBB interview.

(There is no proof, there is no evidence to prove that the mayor is a protector of POGO.)

He said it is too early to disclose who is really behind the illegal activities in the POGO hub.

“With regards to the buildings, malalaman natin muna kung sino ‘yung tunay na may-ari. Kapag ‘yung may-ari ay may direktang may kaugnayan doon sa pagpapatakbo ng mga torture, kidnapping, scams, ay hindi na talaga nila magagamit ‘yan,” Casio said. 

(With regards to the buildings, we will determine first who the real owner is. If we find out that the owner is directly related to the operation of torture, kidnapping, scams, then they can no longer use the buildings.) 

Capil said he does not own the land where the POGO hub is located and it was already established there even before he became mayor, based on a dzBB report of Jonathan Andal. 

He also said that he did not receive any complaints from victims in the POGO, and emphasized that he would have asked for a search warrant to rescue them if only complaints were made.—Giselle Ombay/AOL, GMA Integrated News