Senator Erwin Tulfo on Sunday raised concerns that casinos may have knowingly allowed officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in Bulacan to gamble away hundreds of millions of pesos in public funds.
The Senate Games and Amusement Committee chairman said gambling establishments cannot simply plead ignorance when government officials use fake identities to conceal their transactions.
“I thought they strictly implement their ‘Know Your Client’ or KYC policy? Why didn’t they investigate what kind of business or profession their players are into?” Tulfo said.
“Their surnames on their fake IDs don’t have any hint that they are tycoons or from billionaire families,” he added.
Dismissed district engineer Henry Alcantara reportedly used the alias Joseph Villegas to enter casinos and gamble.
Assistant district engineer Brice Hernandez allegedly used a fake identification card bearing the name Marvin De Guzman.
Project engineer Jaypee Mendoza was also accused of adopting the alias Peejay Asuncion to conceal his identity.
“They didn’t even raise a single red flag or report this to the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC), despite these individuals bringing in hundreds of millions in cash to the casino every single week,” Tulfo said.
The senator suggested that casinos had little incentive to scrutinize the money flow since large transactions meant bigger profits. He emphasized that their failure to act enabled public officials to continue diverting government funds unchecked.
The lawmaker announced that he intends to file a resolution calling for an investigation into casinos that turn a blind eye to questionable transactions.
“If the casinos did their part in monitoring and reporting the transactions, Alcantara, Hernandez, and Mendoza would have been apprehended immediately, and their pilfering of public funds could have been stopped,” Tulfo said.
