Lukcy South 99 in Porac, Pampanga — GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE
MANILA, Philippines — The corporate secretary of Lucky South 99, the Philippine offshore gaming operator (Pogo) hub in Porac, Pampanga, was cited for contempt on Wednesday as lawmakers believed she was lying under oath.
During the final hearing of the House of Representatives committee on public order and safety on the illegal activities linked to Pogos, Abang Lingkod party-list Rep. Joseph Stephen Paduano moved to cite Ronelyn Baterna for contempt as she was found lying and evasive in her answers.
“Mr. Chairman just this morning, I have a motion to [cite for] contempt Ms. Baterna, but I held it because we gave her a chance to answer truthfully, when in fact I already explained what is contempt, we relayed it in Tagalog, so she knows the consequence of lying during this hearing,” Paduano said.
“So with that Mr. Chairman, I move to cite [for] contempt Ms. Baterna in violation of our rules, Section 11, Paragraph c of our rules…refusal to answer questions from the members of this committee. In short, she is lying, Mr. Chairman,” he added.
The contempt order against Baterna came just after she was being quizzed about her role in Lucky South 99 and who lawyered for the firm.
Initially, Baterna said she only functioned as a corporate secretary by signing documents when told to do so over the phone.
READ: Pampanga Pogo linked to scams, trafficking; 186 rescued in raid
However, when the committee on games and amusements chair and Cavite 6th District Rep. Antonio Ferrer asked Baterna who brought Lucky South 99’s lawyers to the hearing, she admitted notifying them.
“The lawyers with you today, your lawyer, do they come from the same office?” Ferrer asked.
“They’re with a different office, your Honor,” Baterna said.
“Who [told] you to bring lawyers here?” Ferrer asked.
“I did contact them, your Honor,” Baterna replied.
Ferrer pointed out that prior to this, the lawyers who accompanied Baterna said they were tapped by Lucky South 99.
He was referring to lawyer Joselle Velasco of NFC Miralles Law Office, who said they were also the same law firm asked by Lucky South 99 to quash a search warrant against the Pogo hub.
“As far as I know, as confirmed by our managing partner, it was Ms. Baterna who communicated to our office as the corporate secretary of Lucky South 99, and she also engaged us for our services, as representative of (the company),” Velasco explained.
Public order panel chairperson and Santa Rosa City Rep. Dan Fernandez said it seems Baterna wields a certain amount of authority for Lucky South 99, having the power to communicate with lawyers for the company, which goes against her initial statements that she was only being instructed what to do.
“So meaning you have this all authority, all authority emanates from you because NFC defends Lucky South 99, and you coordinated with them, right? A while ago you said you do not know anything, you do not coordinate, you do not talk to lawyers, but now they are telling us that it was you who coordinated. So here we can see you lying. So now, who ordered you to coordinate with NFC?” Fernandez asked.
“What I said was true, your Honor, that I do not know anything about the documents that I signed, but with the lawyers, I am the one who contacted them,” Baterna said.
“But a while ago you said it was not you, right?” Fernandez asked. “So you did not say earlier that you did coordinate but now, they (lawyers) are saying it was you who coordinated with them.”
When Fernandez asked Baterna who ordered her to contact the lawyers from NFC Miralles Law Office, she said that it was her, prompting Ferrer to conclude that Baterna was not answering questions correctly, and she was hiding something.
“Answer my questions, because earlier you said you did not know that you were the corporate secretary, you did not know what you signed, you are telling all these lies, that you do not know anything. Now suddenly it was you who approached a law firm representing Lucky South 99,” Fernandez said.
“The truth behind that your Honor is that a lawyer called me up […] it was an Attorney Abe… I only know him as Attorney Abe, under their (NFC) law firm,” Baterna said.
Velasco shook her head in disagreement.
“The law firm that you asked to represent you called to tell you to coordinate with them with their own law firm? You’re making fools out of us,” Fernandez said.
There were high-profile raids of Pogos in Central Luzon.
In the Porac raid, 186 foreign and Filipino workers were rescued from the Pogo hub which was an alleged human trafficking ring. There were also reports that some of the employees were tortured or sold for sex.
The House panels have held four hearings already on the alleged illegal activities linked to Pogos.
On Tuesday, the House adopted a resolution that allows four committees to hold hearings jointly to investigate the links between Pogos, the illegal drug trade, and possible human rights violations.