NOT SO LUCKY An aerial shot shows some of the 46 buildings in the sprawling 5.8-hectare compound of Lucky South 99 online gaming company raided and shut down early this month for operating illegally. —GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE
MANILA, Philippines — The Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) has identified leads regarding the alleged leak of plans to raid illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (Pogo) hubs, according to its spokesperson, Winston Casio.
Casio was specifically referring to the raid on Lucky South 99 in Porac, Pampanga, last June 5.
“We already have the leads that we got in the last three days, so when our office arrives on Monday, we will contact another office where we will give the leads that we got so that they can say where those leads are going,” Casio said at the Saturday News Forum in Quezon City.
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“Remember, we only got 161 out of those 1,000, kasi nga po pagdating nga namin doon ay wala sila ‘di ba. So, we’re still trying to do the necessary coordination as to the investigation. Sapagkat hindi ho papayag iyong komisyon na hindi namin mahanap kung sino iyong nag-leak ‘no,” he added.
(Remember, we only got 161 out of those 1,000 because when we arrived there, they weren’t there, right? So, we’re still trying to do the necessary coordination for the investigation, because the commission will not allow us to not find out who leaked it.)
Casio also opposed claims that the evidence gathered in Lucky South 99 cannot be used due to the “fruit of the poisonous tree” doctrine.
“I would respectfully disagree with that assessment. Remember that all the evidence that we returned to the court, that we presented to the court during the return of the search warrant were based on legitimately obtained search warrants. So, we did not go beyond, over and above what was legally authorized by us by the court,” he explained.
He further supported suspicions that there are indeed leaks in their illegal Pogo raids.
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“By the way, hindi ko na kuwento sa inyo, there was a time ‘no na nag-raid kami—Parañaque yata iyong may cover noon, noong scam farm na iyon. Pagdating noong operatiba ng DOJ [Department of Justice], DOJ-IACAT [Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking], Pagcor [Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation], PNP [Philippine National Police] and PAOCC, nandoon na po iyong corporate lawyers nag-aabang na,” he said.
(By the way, I haven’t told you this yet, there was a time when we conducted a raid—I think it was in Parañaque that was covered at that time, that scam farm. When the operatives of the DOJ, DOJ-IACAT, PAGCOR, PNP, and PAOCC arrived, the corporate lawyers were already there waiting.)
“Sabi noong corporate lawyer: ‘Kanina pa ho kami rito. Bakit ngayon lang kayo?’ So, obviously, there was a leak; there was an obvious leak somewhere,” he added.
(The corporate lawyer said: ‘We’ve been here for a while. Why did you just arrive now?’ So, obviously, there was a leak; the leak was obvious somewhere.)
The official noted that since there is no specific suspect yet regarding the supposed leak, everyone involved in the preparation of the case buildup is a potential suspect.