24 ex-PNP chiefs being probed for alleged ties to POGOs
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine National Police (PNP) is investigating 24 of its former chiefs following rumors that one of them was in cahoots with Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs)
The information was revealed by Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) executive Raul Villanueva in a Senate hearing. Villanueva, a retired police general himself, said that word among the intelligence community pointed towards an unnamed former police chief helping former Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo flee the country.
At the Senate hearing on PNP's proposed 2025 budget on Thursday, September 19, Sen. Robin Padilla asked current police chief Gen. Rommel Marbil for a reaction to intel that someone in their ranks was in the pockets of POGO operators.
“We are investigating 24 of our former chief PNP if they are involved and we are not happy with what he said. Since he is under oath, he has to tell us because it affects the whole organization,” Marbil said in a mix of English and Filipino.
Rommel expressed dismay over Villanueva’s intel, saying that it affected not just the police force, but peace and order.
The PNP has written to Villanueva asking him to divulge who it was. However, during the hearing, Villanueva has already said that they are still working to verify who this police chief was.
Sen. Bato Dela Rosa, who is also a former PNP chief during the Duterte administration, has also expressed concern over the intel, and other retired police chiefs are likewise worried.
However, the cop-turned-senator has reiterated that it was not him, going as far as asking Guo if she knew him or had seen him before. Guo said she did not, saying she only met the senator at the hearing.
Lawmakers and different government authorities are firm on their belief that Guo would not have been able to escape the country without help from officials.
Guo, who has a history of being inconsistent with her narrative, said that no Filipino has helped her.
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