INQUIRER FILES
MANILA, Philippines — A company in Mexico, Pampanga has disputed allegations of being a Philippine offshore gaming operator (Pogo), saying they are a recycling firm.
In a statement on Wednesday, Infinity Eight Trading and Marketing Corporation (Infinity Eight) said they are supportive of the government’s efforts to rid the country of illegal activities linked to Pogos — proof of which was the firm opening its doors to House of Representatives lawmakers.
Infinity Eight legal counsel Stephen Jaromay said they briefed the House contingent led by Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez when lawmakers visited the compound last Monday.
“[The company] is fully supportive of the efforts of Congress to shut down Pogos and to combat illegal drugs,” Jaromay said. “We likewise welcome the opportunity to clarify any misconceptions or misunderstandings about the nature of Infinity Eight’s operations.”
In several hearings of the House committee on dangerous drugs, Infinity Eight was mentioned as one of the compounds in Mexico town suspected of being a Pogo hub.
During the panel’s hearing on June 19, lawmakers scolded Barangay Captain Alfredo David of Lagundi, Mexico as he insisted that Infinity Eight’s 10-hectare compound was a junk shop.
However, Mexico Mayor Rodencio Gonzales said he saw “luxury buildings” in the compound, even likening it to a five-star hotel.
Committee chairperson and Surigao del Norte 2nd District Rep. Robert Ace Barbers said they have video footage taken from inside the Infinity Eight compound, showing at least three five-story buildings that were fashionably built.
READ: Pampanga village exec grilled about ‘junk shop’ with ‘luxury buildings’
Jaromay said they were originally based in Valenzuela City, but frequent flooding there forced them to find another location up north.
According to the lawyer, the facility looks luxurious because it is also the company’s headquarters, and residence of the family that owns the business.
“So this facility houses all the major components of their operations, such as junk reception and processing, recycling facilities, and company headquarters,” Jaromay added.
But House committee on public order and safety chairperson and Santa Rosa City Rep. Dan Fernandez — one of those who quizzed David during the hearing — still believes the compound was intended to be a Pogo hub.
“It’s a recycling facility but the design of the entire area is doubtful because it has a convention hall, it has luxury rooms, [and] there are facilities that are not really intended for recycling purposes,” Fernandez said in a message to INQUIRER.net on Thursday
“And also, its CLUP (Comprehensive Land Use Plan) indicates that it is classified as an industrial land but during the hearing, we found out that the buildings were approved as a residential land, so there is really a violation — and it was designed with a Pogo in mind,” he added.
Fernandez thinks the usage of the compound for gaming facilities was only postponed as Mexico and other Pampanga towns attracted controversy due to the Pogo issue.
“Ask them why they placed residential buildings and convention centers on an industrial land when they intended to operate as a recycling firm — they planned to put up a Pogo as well but it was affected by the Pogo ban,” he said.
“And even their building permit indicated a residential property but they are in an industrial zone,” he added.
Last July 18, Fernandez’s panel and the House committee on games and amusements approved suggestions to visit the Infinity Eight facility.
The visit, which was scheduled to take place days after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s third State of the Nation Address, was suspended several times due to bad weather.
It pushed through this Monday, with Romualdez’s team also stopping by two raided Pogo hubs — the Zun Yuan compound in Bamban, Tarlac which has been linked to suspended Bamban Mayor Alice Guo, and the Lucky South 99 hub in Porac, Pampanga.
READ: Romualdez vows to push for measures vs people behind Pogo crimes
On Tuesday, the House approved House Resolution (HR) No. 1880, tasking four panels — the committee on dangerous drugs, committee on public order and safety, committee on human rights, and the committee on public accounts — to probe a possible interconnection between illegal activities linked to Pogo, the presence of illegal drugs, and the alleged rights violations in the drug war.
READ: House OKs reso tasking panels to jointly probe Pogo, drugs, EJK issues
The adoption of HR No. 1880 comes after Senior Deputy Speaker Aurelio Gonzales Jr. delivered a privilege speech during Monday’s session, highlighting the importance of a coordinated approach to pressing issues faced by the country today.