MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Lito Lapid said he would resign from his senatorial post if he is found guilty of being involved in the busted Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) located in his home province in Pampanga.
Lapid, in a Senate hearing on Wednesday, refuted claims of an unnamed vlogger who accused him of owning ten hectares of land containing 42 buildings of the Lucky South 99 Outsourcing Inc. in Porac.
READ: Who’s behind Pogo hub in Pampanga? Lapid calls for Senate probe
“Gusto ko patunayan dito sa hearing na ito na wala po akong kinalaman dito sa operasyon ng Pogo at hindi po nakapangalan [sa akin] ang sampung hektarya [ng lupa] dyan sa Pogong ‘yan,” Lapid said.
(I want to prove in this hearing that I do not have anything to do with the Pogo operation and that the ten hectares of land are not under my name.)
“Kung ako napatunayan nila na kasali ako dyan, pwede ako magresign bilang senador. Dahil hindi ko po papayagan na masisira ang pangalan ko rito,” he added.
(I am challenging you here, if they prove that I am involved, I can resign as a senator. Because I will not allow my name to be ruined here.)
The senator’s statement arose during a conversation with Porac Mayor Jaime Capil, who sided with Lapid’s denial of involvement in the illegal operation.
In response to the accusations hurled against him, Lapid called on the Senate to crack down on those responsible for the crimes committed under the cover of licensed Pogo operations.
He likewise posed a challenge to the National Bureau of Investigation to go after the vlogger who supposedly tainted his name. — Moss R. Laygo, INQUIRER.net trainee