The lead chairman of the House of Representative’s Quad Committee has underscored the significant achievements of the panel with the filing of four initial legislative measures aimed to address urgent flaws and gaps in the country’s current legal framework, particularly those concerning POGOs (Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators), extra-judicial killings, civil forfeiture of real estate, and cancellation of birth certificates, illegally or fraudulently acquired, by foreign nationals.
Rep. Robert Ace Barbers of Surigao del Norte, Quadcom lead chair and chairman of the House’s Dangerous Drugs panel, said the panel has recommended at least 30 proposed amendments intended to strengthen further several existing laws and ensure that certain abuses and misdeeds in the past are prevented from happening again in the future.
“Out of the series of hearings conducted by Quadcom, lawmakers and the public were informed and enlightened on how criminals and unscrupulous individuals or groups managed to use the flaws, loopholes and weaknesses on some of our existing laws, in the furtherance of their criminal activities. The Quadcom is out to review, scrutinize and come up with new bills or amendments to correct those flaws and gaps in our laws,” Barbers said.
The lawmaker from Mindanao enumerated the initial four bills earlier filed by Quadcom as:
1. House Bill 10986 – Classifying and penalizing extra-judicial killings as a heinous crime, while providing reparations for the victims.
2. HB 10987 – Prohibiting all forms of offshore gaming operations in the country, with severe penalties for violations.
3. HB 11043 – Allowing civil forfeiture of unlawfully acquired real estate properties by foreign nationals.
4. HB 11117 – Providing for the administrative cancellation of birth certificates fraudulently obtained by foreign nationals.
Barbers said the legislative inquiry in aid of legislation carried out by Quadcom during its hearings, which included extensive research and data gathering and the search for resource persons and relevant documents were no easy task for all the Quadcom co-chairs and members.
Quadcom’s probe on EJKs, Barbers said, brought to light a harrowing narrative of abuse of power and institutional impunity during the Duterte administration. “Witness testimonies, corroborated by evidence, revealed a system that incentivized the killing of suspected drug personalities – a system modelled after the so-called “Davao Template” and replicated nationwide.
The formation of Quadcom – composed of the House committees on Dangerous Drugs, Public Order and Safety, Public Accounts, and Human Rights – and its eventual alarming related discoveries stemmed from a routine probe into the P3.9-billion illegal drugs bust in San Jose Malino, Mexico, Pampanga in September 2023.
The probe unearthed the illicit operations of Empire 999 real estate firm owned by Chinese nationals, led by one Willie Ong, masquerading as Filipino citizens who are engaged in massive illegal land acquisitions involving hundreds of hectares of lands, and their ties to local officials and foreign syndicates, unravelling corruption and systemic exploitation.
“Upon deeper probe, the panel uncovered from Empire 999 corporate papers that its incorporators are linked to the illegal drug trade and organized crime activities facilitated by POGOs. What was initially presented as a revenue-generating industry has instead become a breeding ground for illegal activities such as illegal drugs, human trafficking, money laundering, investment scams, cybercrimes, tortures and even murders,” Barbers said.
