Senators call on PAGCOR to name ex-Cabinet official who backed POGOs

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Risa Hontiveros is counting on Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. Chairperson Alejandro Tengco to bare the identity of the former Cabinet official who allegedly lobbied on behalf of Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs) in the next Senate hearing on the issue.

The Senate committee on women, children and gender equality is set to hold another inquiry on POGOs on July 10. 

"We are calling a next hearing and I hope the PAGCOR chief deems it the right forum to reveal what he knows," Hontiveros said. 

"Whoever the ex-cabinet official turns out to be, the fact remains: POGOs are being used as a legal cover for scam hubs,” the senator added.

This comes after Tengco said over the weekend that a certain "former high ranking government official" facilitated the issuance of licenses to recently raided POGO hubs. Tengco added that he will reveal the person’s identity “in the proper forum."

Tengco added that he is also willing to reveal the roles of other "controversial individuals" linked to POGO hubs.

Similarly, Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian has also called on PAGCOR to reveal all information pertinent to the operation of illegal POGO hubs in the country, including any official documents that confirm the former official's ties to the gaming hubs.

Some senators, like Gatchalian, have called for an outright ban on POGO hubs due to the surge of crimes that have been linked to it.

Sen. Koko Pimentel has also similarly urged PAGCOR to bare the identities of officials with ties to POGO hubs, saying: "They have infiltrated not only the business and gaming industries but also our government, allegedly with local and even high-ranking officials serving as their protectors."

Suspended Bamban Mayor Alice Guo is facing removal via a quo warranto case after the National Bureau of Investigation found that her fingerprints matched that of Chinese national Guo Hua Ping.

These NBI findings confirm that Guo is "one and the same" as Guo Hua Ping, whose Chinese passport indicates she entered the Philippines at 13. This is contrary to Guo's claim that she was born in Tarlac. — Cristina Chi