DOJ secures SC nod to transfer Pogo cases in Bamban, Tarlac to NCR

Justice Sec. Jesus Crispin Remulla

MANILA, Philippines — The qualified trafficking cases filed against several foreign nationals apprehended in a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (Pogo) in Bamban, Tarlac will be transferred to the National Capital Region (NCR) following the approval of the Supreme Court (SC), according to Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla.

In a statement on Sunday, Remulla revealed that he secured SC’s approval to transfer the cases filed against Ma The Pong, Wang Weila, and Lang Xu, among others, from Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 66 of Capas, Tarlac to NCR.

READ: Tolentino lauds transfer of Alice Guo’s graft case to Valenzuela City

“I commend the SC for their unwavering commitment to safeguard the laws of the land in order to avoid the miscarriage of justice, the DOJ (Department of Justice) vows that we will prosecute these cases with burning resolve and integrity,” the justice secretary said.

In a letter dated April 22, Remulla pointed out the need to “safeguard national interest and ensure fairness in the justice system considering these high profile cases exceed local boundaries which affect national security and general policies.”

Earlier, the agency recommended the filing of qualified trafficking charges against ex-Bamban Mayor Alice Guo (real name: Guo Hua Ping).

Justice Undersecretary Nicholas Ty cited an amendment in Republic Act 9208, also known as the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act, as the reason for the recommendation.

“There is a very good new provision in the latest amendment to our Trafficking in Persons Act, specifically Section 4(l). It states that if you organized an establishment involved in human trafficking, you could be implicated in human trafficking,” the official explained in a press conference last week.

He added that charges will be filed next week before the appropriate regional trial court.

Guo, along with others, is facing a qualified human trafficking complaint filed by the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group and the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission before the Department of Justice last June 21.