Chinese spies working through POGOs? Senate sets final hearing
MANILA, Philippines — Dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo is set to make a final appearance in the Senate on November 26 with one last hearing about Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO).
At a press briefing on Thursday, November 21, opposition Sen. Risa Hontiveros alluded to new information about how Chinese spies used POGOs to operate.
"There is new information uncovered about the presence of Chinese spies in the Philippines through POGOs," Hontiveros, chair of the committee conducting the hearings, said in Filipino.
Hontiveros said the Senate committee plans to tie up all the loose ends from previous hearings.
The last hearing on October 8 featured a string of revelations, including the unexpected appearance of Mary Ann Maslog, also known as Jessica Francisco, the alleged textbook scammer who had faked her death. Maslog allegedly met with Alice Guo when the latter was caught in Indonesia.
The revelations left senators with more questions than answers.
The October 8 hearing also followed a shocking Al Jazeera report that pointed to Guo as a possible Chinese spy.
Guo became infamous for achieving the mayorship despite having a dubious birth history. The National Bureau of Investigation revealed that Alice Guo is likely Chinese national Guo Hua Ping, as their fingerprints matched.
Guo now faces money laundering, misrepresentation and human trafficking charges.
As to how POGOS connected to being a Chinese spy, Hontiveros said that more details will be disclosed at the upcoming hearing.
POGO ban lapses
During the press briefing, Hontiveros lauded the Malacañang order banning POGOs but pointed out several lapses in its implementation.
Specifically, Hontiveros noted that the executive order banning POGOs does not prevent them from operating from legal casinos or resorts.
Economic zones after all require closer regulation, as they fall outside the jurisdiction of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. or PAGCOR, Hontiveros noted.
The senator also said that they received tips about government officials advising POGOs on circumventing rules to continue operations.
She said the anti-POGO bill could help fill in such gaps.
When asked if these gaps in the executive order were intentional to benefit certain parties, Hontiveros expressed hope that this was not the case.
The Philippine government has until the end of December to ensure that all POGO operations in the country will cease.
"In the next hearing, we will lay out all the reforms in the law that the Senate needs to advance because of the many irregularities and policy gaps that we saw with the proliferation of POGOs and other crimes," Hontiveros said.
These lapses also include procedures in issuing birth certificates.
The examination of Guo's case has raised numerous concerns among senators, including the issuance of birth certificates to foreigners who are pretending to be Filipinos.
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