Noy Morcoso/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives quad committee will present to the plenary before Christmas a “progress report” on its inquiry into the alleged link of Philippine offshore gaming operators (Pogos) with drug war deaths, the narcotics trade, and other syndicated crimes.
In a statement on Sunday, Surigao del Norte Rep. and quad committee lead chair Robert Ace Barbers said the 300-member chamber could ask President Marcos to certify as urgent the draft measures resulting from the inquiry.
READ: House quad committee’s probe results in spy bills
The quad committee is made up of the committees on dangerous drugs, which Barbers heads; on public order and safety; on human rights; and on public accounts. It was formed to look into the connection between Pogos and extrajudicial killings (EJKs) in the Duterte administration’s bloody war on drugs, the illegal drug trade, and other syndicated crimes.
Barbers said the committee will submit the report before Congress starts its Christmas break on Dec. 21 to allow House members to act on at least four draft measures that the members have filed.
Draft bills
These measures include House Bill No. 10986 defining extrajudicial killing as a heinous crime and imposing the maximum penalty on offenders, and HB 11117 proposing the creation of an interagency government committee, led by the Philippine Statistics Authority, that could expedite the administrative cancellation of questionable birth certificates.
In the course of its inquiry, the mega panel discovered several Chinese nationals acquiring Filipino citizenship using fake birth certificates to form corporations that purchase properties, both lands and buildings, for use in illegal activities, including illicit Pogo operations and the narcotics trade.
The two other draft measures filed by quad committee members were HB 11043 for the civil forfeiture in favor of the state of any unlawfully acquired real estate properties by any foreign national, and HB 10987 prohibiting all forms of offshore gaming operations in the country.
Barbers said the quad committee’s initial progress report would also include recommendations for the filing of charges against individuals linked to illegal drugs, illicit Pogos, and EJKs, and for the concerned government agencies to actively pursue such cases.
He noted that these recommendations were based on testimonial and documentary evidence.
Pogos still around
Meanwhile, Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian called on local government units to be alert over the continued presence of Pogos, warning officials that they could face suspension if these illegal operations are found in their areas of jurisdiction.
Gatchalian said Pogos now operate in small groups and “run outside of the urban areas” after President Marcos ordered a ban on Pogos to safeguard national security and maintain public order.
“I saw in the news that one was caught in Davao del Norte. It’s just a small group operating in the area. And there were people apparently also involved in human trafficking,” Gatchalian said in an interview with dzBB on Sunday.
“There were Chinese and Malaysians also. As expected, these groups, they moved from urban areas so they cannot be caught. So this is where the role of the local governments should come in. They have to be watchful and alert [to] these happenings. If they see foreign nationals who converge and suddenly appear in their area, they should … monitor their movements and activities,” he added.
Gatchalian emphasized that local government officials cannot use the excuse that they are unaware of what’s going on in their turfs.
He said local officials would be held accountable if Pogos were found in their areas of jurisdiction, despite the deadline given by the President for Pogos to cease operations in the country.
He cited the case of Mayor Jing Capil and several other elected officials of Porac in Pampanga province who were placed under a six-month preventive suspension by the Office of the Ombudsman for gross neglect of duty in connection with the operations in their town of Pogo involved in alleged criminal activities.