Senator Sherwin Gatchalian —Noy Morcoso/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines — Some homeowners of the Multinational Village in Parañaque City have raised the alarm over “suspicious” activities allegedly tied to illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (Pogos) in the area, said Senator Sherwin Gatchalian on Wednesday.
Speaking at a Kapihan sa Manila Bay forum, Gatchalian said these Multinational Village residents have personally reached out to his office after controversies surrounding Pogos erupted.
“Their complaint is—number one: the overcrowding of houses. Because there are houses where at least 30 [to] 40 people live. And they are afraid of what it is, if there are 40 people there. That’s not normal in a house. So they are afraid of that,” said Gatchalian in Filipino.
READ: Senate panel recommends Pogo ban
Apart from this, the homeowners likewise sounded the alarm over supposed foreign nationals getting caught in a fight with security guards in the village.
“There are also issues with police escorts. So there are issues like that. And there are also many allegations that it is connected to Pogo. Because the cars come or go out at night. So there are also issues of some people being arrested by the local police. So we want to look at that angle as well,” said the senator.
Gatchalian, in the same forum, emphasized the need to look at these reports, fearing that syndicates are now residing in “our villages.”
READ: Chinese militia presence in Parañaque village disproved – police
“Because that is what we are afraid of—that these syndicates [now] live in our villages. They live among us. And these people are not ordinary people,” he said.
Prior to Gatchalian’s pronouncement, the Southern Police District already debunked allegations of a Chinese militia presence at an exclusive village in Parañaque City.
Several senators have been urging President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to completely ban Pogos in the Philippines, pointing out that these only “made the country a fertile ground for various crimes.”