Senator Risa Hontiveros on Tuesday wrapped up the Upper Chamber’s much-publicized investigation into Philippine Overseas Gaming Operators (POGOs) by underscoring the shady industry’s destructive effects on society.
The Senate’s probe learned that POGO hubs were not simply used for gambling, scamming and trafficking, but also to produce fake news to influence netizens, she said.
The Senator also noted that dismissed mayor Alice Guo, who is currently detained, is just a small cog in POGOs’ massive machinery in the Philippines.
“Guo Hua Ping (Alice Guo) is only one manifestation of this phenomenon, and at this point I leave her in the hands of our justice system. But it is important to scrutinize and investigate POGO so that they don’t make a comeback,” Hontiveros said in a mixture of Filipino and English.
The Senator has laid out information regarding Shei Zeijang, who revealed that Guo Hua Ping is a foreign intelligence agent.
“Shei Zeijang has access to the files of Guo Hua Ping, and the members of the family because according to him, Guo Hua Ping is an intelligence agent,” Hontiveros noted.
For his part, Deputy Director General of the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) Francisco Acedillo said it has not yet been determined whether Guo is a spy or an “agent of influence.”
During the Senate hearing, he explained that a foreign intelligence agent and an agent of influence are different.
He said there is no determination that Guo was trained or being supervised by a foreign intelligence agency unless an agency has confirmed it.
“As to the question of whether or not Guo Hua Ping is a spy or to be more accurate a foreign intelligence agent, it requires a determination of fact. Meaning that the intelligence agency that trained her, employed her, and supervised or controlled her, either confirms [that she is one of their agents],” he explained.
However, Acedillo noted that in a historical context, the possibility is there given the documents and facts laid out from recent hearings and investigations of committees.
Meanwhile, in the course of investigating POGOs, the NICA uncovered multiple online scam operations and even a coordinated social media campaign supporting Vice President Sara Duterte through accounts traced to China.
Acedillo said it has been a challenge to trace these accounts as they are based outside the country.
“Many of, all of which are actually foreign based so even if scam victims seek our government’s help, we have no choice but to course them through these foreign social media platforms,” he lamented.
The NICA director also revealed that Telco companies are being mimicked by hackers to farm out scams and political misinformation.
Also during the hearing, Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) Director Winnie Quidato reported that some former POGO companies are now rebranding themselves as Business Process Outsourcing companies and have resorted to working in smaller groups.
