Sen. Lito Lapid —File photo from the Senate Public Relations and Information Bureau)
MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Lito Lapid wants the Senate to include in its probe a Philippine offshore gaming operator (Pogo) recently raided by authorities in his home province of Pampanga.
The Senate Committee on Women, headed by opposition Sen. Risa Hontiveros, has been investigating Pogos’ alleged links to criminal activities.
“It is necessary to conduct a thorough investigation to determine the true owners of the land and buildings used in Pogo and the company operating it to uncover the complete truth about who is really behind Pogo,” Lapid said in Filipino in a statement on Tuesday.
The senator was referring to Lucky South 99 Outsourcing Inc. located at the border of Porac town and Angeles City, Pampanga.
It was raided by authorities last June 4 following reports that it was being used for human trafficking.
Rescued from the illegal offshore gaming firm were more than 190 Filipino and foreign workers.
Lapid, meanwhile, appealed to the media to be fair and responsible in their reporting to prevent innocent people from being implicated in the Pogo hub in Pampanga.
“We appeal to our brothers and sisters in the media and social media to be responsible and discerning before making baseless accusations to prevent innocent people from being falsely implicated,” he said.
The senator served as governor of Pampanga.
Still, Lapid stressed that the heinous crimes uncovered in the Pogo hubs in Bamban, Tarlac and Pampanga deserve condemnation and require swift actions from the government to hold those behind the criminal activities accountable.
Zun Yuan Technology Inc., a Pogo firm in Tarlac’s Bamban town, was raided by the authorities in March this year, also for its alleged involvement in human trafficking.
More than 800 Filipino and foreign workers were reportedly rescued during the raid.
NOTE: The English translations in the article were AI-generated.