Authorities in the Philippines are demanding the arrest of an interim mayor from a small town who is suspected to be involved with crimes committed within the offshore gambling industry. Some legislators say that the offshore gaming industry is part and parcel of Beijing’s strategy to undermine national security.
Several Philippine legislators claim that China has infiltrated the offshore gambling industry of their country. Some Philippine lawmakers claim that China uses a Trojan horse strategy to undermine the country’s national security.
Many of the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations, many run by Chinese, were previously linked to crime, including online fraud, kidnapping and torture, as well as murder.
POGOs have been rebranded to Internet Gaming Licensees since last fall. This new name was chosen by regulators to differentiate between legal and illegal operators. There are calls to ban the industry. In March, after a mayor of a small town was accused of crimes related to POGO, the calls for statewide bans intensified.
In an operation conducted on 13 March at a POGO facility in Bamban (Tarlac), the authorities released 868 people believed to have been victims of human trafficking. The authorities also confiscated nine villas as well as 46 vehicles and EUR89.025 cash, along with motorcycles and other heavy equipment. Zun Yuan Technology Inc. ran the compound on land that was partly owned by Bamban Mayor Alice Guo.
An investigation revealed that Guo had millions of pesos in 36 accounts. Win Gatchalian (a POGO critic) said that a large portion of the funds came from China and were allegedly used for the financing the offshore operations. Guo’s account has been frozen since.
Separate investigation has revealed the possibility that the Filipina Mayor and Guo Hua Ping, a Chinese national with a passport from China may be the same person. The fingerprints are the same.
The president Ferdinand Marcos Jr said that no one knew the mayor who had been elected in 2022 but suspended after the raid. We wonder from where she is. We are looking into this with the Bureau of Immigration because we have questions regarding her citizenship.
As the plot deepens
The Philippine Senate called for Guo’s arrest last week when she failed to appear for the second criminal hearing. Guo’s attorney claims that she is too frightened to come because of “massive online bullying and humiliation”.
Drama is unfolding amid the ongoing tensions in South China Sea between China and the Philippines. Under former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, the diplomatic relations between both countries improved. He was later accused of cosying-up to Chinese President Xi Jinping. Marcos’ pro-US position has cooled things down considerably.
Jinggoy Estrada, Senate Pro Tempore, is worried about POGO operations in the vicinity of military and police installations near Quezon City. He said that reports of 250 other POGOs operating illegally should lead our authorities to crackdown.
The chief of the armed forces staff, General Romeo Brawner Jr. said that the “strategic location of POGOs”, near the capital created “a perimeter of espionage”.
Chester Cabalza, a security expert from the Philippines, has described POGOs as “a Trojan Horse that could stage a surprise assault in the Philippines”.
Alejandro Tengco is the head of Pagcor, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation. He acknowledged criminals might have thought the Philippine regulator was “a little lenient” in the past. Pagcor was not aware that the criminals were doing other activities than gaming.
He said that the regulator now works with the authorities to identify bad actors and take them down. Pagcor has defended the legitimate POGOs in June after a raid on illegal POGOs revealed criminal activities.
Gatchalian, however, is not impressed and demands an “immediate” ban on offshore operations. He said that in addition to the proliferation heinous crime associated with POGOs, this industry raised serious concerns about national security. This must be dealt with quickly and with a strong political will.
Gilberto Teodoro, the Defense Secretary agrees. He said: “These organized criminal groups… weaken the financial status of our nation, and our ratings as a country (and) they corrupt our society.”
According to him, Beijing may be funding illegal POGOs in order to disrupt “our social, political, and economic fabric.” It is the most efficient way to weaken your enemy by causing trouble in their country.
Written by Marjorie Preston
