MANILA, Philippines — House Minority Leader Bienvenido “Benny” Abante Jr. said China could be deploying some of its military forces in the country as he decried security threats posed by Philippine offshore gaming operators (Pogos) near military camps.
“Naniniwala ako it might endanger us sapagka’t ang pinapadala po dito ay hindi lang naman worker ng Pogo kundi they might even be members of the military,” Abante said in a press conference in Quezon City on Saturday.
Previously, Defense Chief Delfin Lorenzana said some Chinese casinos are too close to military bases. He noted that casinos employ an army of up to 130,000 Chinese workers
READ: Chinese casinos near PH military camps worry DND
Abante also questioned the entry of illegal Chinese workers in the Philippines, noting that the House of Representatives must conduct an investigation on the issue.
“Bakit nagka-ganun? Bakit sila nakakapasok without passing through the legal channels? Paligoy-ligoy po sila dito sa atin sa Pilipinas,” he said.
“Sa Majority at sa minority kailangan imbestigahan itong bagay na ito,” he added.
He further claimed that Chinese workers entering in the Philippines are being monitored by the Chinese government.
“Sinabi ko rin po na sa China halos lahat ng nagpupunta po dito [Philippines] po monitored po ng Chinese government yan,” he said.
Abante noted that according to a recent data, there are around 120,000 Chinese workers employed in the Pogo hubs in the Philippines. /muf