IN HOTWATER Local policemen lead the flag-raising ceremony in front of the Bamban town hall in Tarlac in this photo taken on April 1. The town’s police force has been replaced as the government investigates the alleged involvement of local officials in the illegal operation of a Philippine offshore gaming operator there. —PHOTO COURTESY OF BAMBAN POLICE
MANILA, Philippines — All 49 officers of the Bamban municipal police station were relieved from their posts to pave the way for an investigation into the raid of a Pogo (Philippine offshore gaming operator) enterprise in that town in Tarlac province in March.
The policemen were transferred to the regional personnel administration holding unit of the Central Luzon police, Philippine National Police spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo said in a press briefing at Camp Crame. They were replaced by personnel also assigned in Central Luzon, she said.
The turnover rites, led by Brig. Gen. Jose Hidalgo Jr., Central Luzon police director, were held on Monday.
READ: Pogo probe: Guo, 2 other Bamban execs suspended
The relieved personnel will undergo a reformation program for police officers at the School for Values and Leadership Annex in Subic, Zambales province.
“The administrative relief of the 49 personnel is to give way to the investigation being conducted to determine the possible liability for neglect of duty. How come, for the longest time, the Pogos were allegedly operating there, but they were not able to monitor these illegal activities?” Fajardo said.
Mayor Alice Guo of Bamban, under fire over her alleged ties to the Pogo industry in her town and questions surrounding her citizenship, has been placed under a six-month preventive suspension without pay by the Office of the Ombudsman.
A nine-page order signed by Ombudsman Samuel Martires on May 31 also placed under suspension Bamban’s business permit and licensing officer Edwin Ocampo and municipal legal officer Adenn Sigua, following an administrative complaint filed by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).
Guo allegedly issued a business permit to Pogo operator Zun Yuan Technology despite its lack of a fire safety inspection certificate and a provisional license from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp., among other documents.
Pangasinan mayor
Guo was also a former incorporator of Baofu Corp., whose property she said she divested from in 2022. Zun Yuan’s operations in that compound were raided following reports of human trafficking and illegal detention.
Meanwhile, Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada warned local officials against being involved in the Pogo industry, as he claimed that an incumbent mayor from Pangasinan province is “managing” the Pogo supposedly owned by Guo in her municipality.
“According to my [source], he’s the one running the Pogo owned allegedly by Mayor Guo,” Estrada said in a press briefing on Tuesday.
“If I can get evidence linking that mayor, I will have him invited [to the Senate investigation],” he said.
During the Senate hearing on May 22, Guo repeatedly denied that she was in a relationship with a mayor after Estrada claimed that her “live-in partner” was supervising her alleged Pogo business.
The senator said he is ready to provide the information if the DILG inquires about her alleged connection with the Pangasinan mayor.
“But I’m sure they already know him,” Estrada said. “It’s up to the DILG to conduct their own investigation. They will not let this pass because this might concern national security interest[s].”
Estrada said he was concerned about the involvement of several local officials in the Pogo industry, which had been linked to syndicates behind human trafficking, cybercrimes, prostitution, illegal drugs and money laundering.
He said it was possible that Pogos had bankrolled their campaign in the 2022 general elections and even before that.
Bill on birth registration
Estrada also said he was pushing for a bill that seeks to strengthen the system of filing for delayed birth registration in the country.
The measure includes the imposition of stiffer penalties for those who declare false statements in birth records that are registered late.
“We want to introduce amendments to the existing laws. Because the penal clause (on late birth registration) is only P200. We increased it to P100,000 to P250,000. That is also to make it attuned to our times,” Estrada said at the Kapihan sa Senado forum regarding his Senate Bill No. 2703 or the proposed Delayed Registration of Birth Act.
“Through this measure, the procedure for the delayed registration of birth will be more effective and will ensure that the birth certificates are genuine and truthful representation[s] of the identity of the person,” Estrada said. —with a report from Tina G. Santos