DILG task force formed to handle Pogo-linked crimes in C. Luzon – Marcos

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. delivers a speech at the distribution of aid to farmers and fisherfolk in San Fernando, Pampanga, on Friday, July 12, 2024. –The photo was taken from an RTVM video posted on the Facebook of the Presidential Communications Office

MANILA, Philippines — A task force under the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) will handle crimes linked to Philippine offshore gaming operator (Pogo) hubs in Central Luzon, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. assured Pampanga residents on Friday.

Marcos made the assurance in his speech during the distribution of aid to farmers and fisherfolk in San Fernando, Pampanga.

“Sa lahat ng itong nabanggit ko po, nawa’y iisa lang ang tumimo sa inyong mga puso at isipan: mahal at pinaghahalagahan namin kayong lahat.  Alam ko rin po na labis ang inyong pagkakabahala sa mga kriminalidad at iligal na mga gawain na sumisira sa kapayapaan ng inyong pamayanan,” Marcos said.

“Of all the things I have mentioned, I hope one thing reaches your hearts and minds: The government loves and values all of you. I also know you have been very concerned about crimes and other illegal activities here that are destroying the peace of your community,” Marcos said in Filipino.

“I want to let you know that we are focusing on addressing this problem. In fact, we have already created a task force under the DILG that will focus on these illegal activities linked to Pogos that we have heard about,” he added.

Marcos said that the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and the Bureau of Customs (BOC) were also coordinating with other agencies to stop the drug trade.

“The Bureau of Customs continues to coordinate with other agencies to stop the illegal shipment of illegal drugs into the country. The PDEA also continues to take steps to stop the illegal drug trade. We listen to your pleas,” he said.

Marcos did not specify the illegal activities linked to Pogos, but law enforcers recently conducted two high-profile raids of Pogo hubs in Central Luzon — one in Bamban, Tarlac, last March 13 and another in Porac, Pampanga, last June 4.

In the Porac raid, 186 foreign and Filipino workers were rescued from the Pogo hub, which was an alleged human trafficking ring. There were also reports that some of the employees were tortured or sold for sex.

In Bamban, authorities were able to rescue 371 Filipinos and 497 foreigners working in the Pogo hub, which was also accused of involvement in human trafficking.

The Bamban raid brought light to issues now faced by suspended Mayor Alice Guo of Bamban, Tarlac, whom the DILG believes to have a stake in the games. According to the DILG, Guo has business interests in Baofu Land Development Inc., which owns the land where the raided Pogo hub sits.

Guo said she divested ownership of Baofu, but the DILG believed the amount she divested it for — P2.5 million — was “grossly incongruent to her investment on Baufo, which was approximately eight hectares of land.”

READ: Bamban Mayor Alice Guo charged with human trafficking

Regarding illegal drugs, the House of Representatives Committee on Dangerous Drugs has been investigating a controlled drug delivery operation conducted by PDEA, which was to track down crystal meth or shabu shipped through the Port of Subic in Zambales to a warehouse in Mexico, Pampanga.

Eventually, the hearings revealed that the warehouse was owned by Empire 999 Realty Corp., controlled by a certain Willie Ong, who was found to have used a fake Filipino identity while buying over 300 parcels of land in the Philippines.

The committee also found possible ties to Lincoln Ong and Michael Yang, two figures also involved in investigations against Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp.

There have been calls to ban Pogos and scrutinize the documents of Chinese nationals using special visas in the country. Last June 11, Makabayan bloc lawmakers filed House Bill No. 10525, the proposed Anti-Pogo Act of 2024, which will revoke existing Pogo licenses and ban future Pogo companies from operating.

On June 18, House Deputy Majority Leader Erwin Tulfo filed a bill that seeks to probe the reported abuse of the country’s special visa programs — the Special Resident Retiree’s Visa (SRRV) and the Special Investor’s Resident Visa (SIRV), which were supposedly used by Chinese nationals to gain access in the country and work for Pogo hubs.