Authorities filed a graft complaint against suspended Porac, Pampanga Mayor Jaime Capil and other local officials before the Department of Justice (DOJ) over the operations of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) firm Lucky South 99 in the municipality on Wednesday, October 16, 2024.

According to a report in GMA News Online, Aside from Capil, the other respondents are Porac Business Permit and Licensing Office head Emerald Salonga Vital, Municipal Vice Mayor Francis Tamayo, and seven Sangguniang Bayan members.

“Napag-alaman sa mga dokyumento na nagkaroon ng business permit ang Lucky South for 2022- 2023 kahit na may mga problema sa dokumento nila application,” Assistant Prosecutor JT Leonardo Santos said in an ambush interview.

(It was found based on documents that the Lucky South was able to obtain a business permit for 2022-2023 despite having problems with their application documents.)

According to Santos, portions of the application forms that the firm submitted were blank.

When asked about the involvement of Capil and Tamayo, Santos said that they were the ones who approved the business permit of Lucky South 99 even if it was not qualified.

Meanwhile, he said there was “neglect of duty” on the part of the Sangguniang Bayan members as well as Tamayo.

The complainants are the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) and the Philippine National Police-Criminal investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG).

During the filing, a witness also personally testified before the prosecutors.

Prosecutor James Escalona said the witness had previously seen the respondents.

“Eyewitness siya na nakikita yung mga personalities na yun pumupunta ng Porac, pumupunta ng Lucky South… Pero hindi yung sa on a regular basis,” he said.

(The eyewitness saw the personalities going to Porac, to Lucky South… but not on a regular basis.)

For his part, IACAT prosecutor Sonny Ocampo said more cases could follow.

“Meron pa pong ongoing case build-up, case conference ang mga partner natin sa law enforcement, particularly the CIDG and the PAOCC,” Ocampo said.

(There is an ongoing case build-up, case conference with our partners in law enforcement, particularly the CIDG and the PAOCC.)

“And we are still crafting and evaluating yung mga inputs at ebidensyang prinepresenta nila and hopefully, baka next week, we will come up with the… third set of cases as far as Porac [is concerned],” he added.

(And we are still crafting and evaluating the input and evidence they presented and hopefully, maybe next week, we will come up with the third set of cases as far as Porac is concerned.)

Last week, the Office of the Ombudsman suspended Capil and others due to alleged gross neglect of duty.

This was after the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) accused Capil and the nine others of inaction and willful non-compliance of their duties as they allowed the continuous operation of the Lucky South 99 in their town.

PAOCC and the PNP-CIDG previously filed a qualified human trafficking complaint filed against Cassandra Li Ong, the authorized representative of the Lucky South 99.

The respondents are yet to release their statements.

(with reports from Joahna Lei Casilao, GMA Integrated News)