The Philippine National Police headquarters in Camp Crame (Photo from Philippine Daily Inquirer)
MANILA, Philippines – Authorities are still investigating whether the Chinese military uniforms and “outstanding service medal” found in the raided Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (Pogo) hub in Pampanga can be considered a “national security threat.”
Philippine National Police (PNP) chief General Rommel Marbil said the evidence is being gathered, and they have yet to validate where the Chinese military items came from.
READ: Suspected Chinese military medal, more gear found in Pampanga Pogo hub
“We want to make sure talaga saan nakuha yung uniform,” Marbil said in an ambush interview after an awarding ceremony at the National Capital Region Police Office headquarters at Camp Bagong Diwa in Bicutan, Taguig.
(We want to know or validate first where these uniforms originated.)
“Hindi po muna kami magcoconclude. Samin lang po we are here to get all the evidence yun po ang ginagawa ng kapulisan with the help of the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC),” he added.
(We will not conclude. Our job is to get all the evidence that is what PNP is doing now with the help of PAOCC. )
Moreover, Marbil pointed out that the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency should be asked about the matter.
“The one that should comment on that is not the PNP but the national intelligence,” Marbil said.
“That is under investigation, so I will not make a comment anymore,” he added.
On Wednesday, the raided complex contained an “outstanding service medal” for a Chinese military sergeant, along with three sets of People’s Liberation Army (PLA) uniforms and boots.
PAOCC spokesperson Winston John Casio said the medal was found in one of the establishments’ buildings. At the same time, three more sets of PLA uniforms were discovered in various parts of the complex, bringing the total to six.
Before this, Casio disclosed that the first three PLA uniforms and military pins were found over the establishment’s dorms, villas, and offices on June 10.
Last week, PAOCC and joint operatives of the Philippine National Police units conducted the raid, resulting in the “apprehension” of over 190 individuals inside the Pogo complex along Friendship Highway, Angeles City.