The House Quad-Committee’s much-anticipated hearings continue to expose how a cabal of “powerful people” connects Philippine Overseas Gaming Operators (POGOs), drug trafficking, extrajudicial killings, and a host of other illegal activities.
Laguna Rep. Dan Fernandez began Wednesday’s session by pointing out that the true masterminds behind such crimes remain seemingly beyond the law’s grasp.
“By now, there can be no doubt in anyone’s mind that powerful people are behind this large-scale, multi-billion peso criminal enterprise involving drug trafficking, POGOS, and extra-judicial killings,” the Committee on Public Safety chair said.
“The fact that several key personalities of POGO corporations have managed to evade the long arm of the law speaks volumes of the power they wield and the resources at their disposal,” he added.
Fernandez noted that the committee has firmly established that Chinese nationals obtained Filipino citizenship by fraudulent means, and then proceeded to acquire vast landholdings through businesses disguised as Filipino-owned corporations.
“In the course of our inquiry, I believe that one thing will eventually be made clear: that drug money is the source of POGO money, and that POGO money is a source of criminal activities, including EJKs,” said the lawmaker.
Meanwhile, Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers said the Quadcom is focused on unraveling the web of extrajudicial killings, the collusion between a well-organized syndicate and government officials in the drug trade, and the criminal activities linked to POGOs.
“In our previous hearings, serious allegations came to light. Witnesses claimed that former President Rodrigo Duterte was directly involved in the execution of Chinese drug personalities while they were detained in Davao,” the Committee on Dangerous Drugs chair said.
“Such accusations, if proven true, reveal a systematic abuse of power and a deliberate elimination of individuals for financial gain, all under the pretext of maintaining public order,” he added.
For Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante, chair of the Committee on Human Rights, the testimonies gathered by the Quad Comm clearly indicate the interconnection among POGOs, illegal drugs trade and EJKs.
“The testimonies we have heard clearly illustrate the interconnectedness of wrongdoing, the domino effect of sin – of how evil begets evil. So it is fitting that the focus of our hearing today is POGOs… because many people earlier said that there is no harm in them,” Abante said.
He pointed out that the probe suggests that proceeds from POGOs’ activities funded many criminal enterprises and even sustained the Duterte administration’s bloody war on drugs.
As this developed, Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) chairman Alejandro Tengco on Wednesday told the Senate Committee on Games and Amusement that five POGO-owned firms have stopped operating since last July.
“Some POGO companies voluntarily shut down their operation following President Marcos’ total ban order, he said.
He added that POGO firms in the Island Cove property in Cavite province have advised his office that they will cease operations on Dec. 15.
Tengco, however, revealed that some POGOs have asked for an extension in their operations until 2025 to allow them to wind down their operations.
