Former Bamban Mayor Alice Leal Guo, otherwise known as Guo Hua Ping, invokes her right to remain silent during a public hearing on the alleged illegal activities of Pogo hubs in Pampanga and Tarlac. (Senate Public Relations and Information Bureau, file photo)
MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives quad committee has refrained from recommending complaints against several key personalities in its investigation, citing the need for additional inquiry to ascertain their link to the illicit drug trade and illegal activities in Philippine offshore gaming operators (Pogo).
In his presentation of the quad committee’s progress report before the House session on Wednesday, lead presiding officer and Surigao del Norte 2nd District Rep. Robert Ace Barbers said the links of the following individuals to alleged illegal acts must be checked further:
- Illegal drug trade and shabu importation
- Davao City 1st District Rep. Paolo Duterte
- Davao Councilor Nilo Abellera Jr.
- former Presidential Task Force on Media Security director Paul Gutierrez
- former Environment undersecretary Benny Antiporda
- a certain Tita Nanie
- a certain Allen Capuyan
- Illegal drug trade
- former presidential economic adviser Michael Yang
- Lin Wei Xiong/ Allan Lim
- Charlie Tan
- Sammy Uy
- Illegal activities in Pogo hubs
- former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque
- Whirlwind Corporation stakeholder Katherine Cassandra Ong
- dismissed Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo
- Yang’s brother, businessman Tony Yang
- Hongjiang Yang
Drug trade
Rep. Duterte’s name was mentioned in the first-ever quad committee hearing last August 16 at Bacolor, Pampanga, when former Customs intelligence officer Jimmy Guban said that Antiporda sent Gutierrez to warn him that he would die if he name-drops Duterte, his brother-in-law Manases Carpio, and Michael Yang as involved in the missing illegal drugs in 2018.
Guban said Gutierrez, supposedly part of Antiporda’s staff, relayed the death threat and said that his child could be kidnapped if he mentioned Duterte, Carpio, and Yang in the congressional hearings.
The Senate and the House were then hearing the issue of illegal drugs concealed inside magnetic lifters.
Duterte denied knowing Guban, noting that the former Customs official cannot be considered a star witness because he was cited for contempt by the Senate in the past.
Drugs, Pogos
On the other side of the drug trade probe, Barbers noted that hearings on the controlled-delivery operation in Mexico, Pampanga, paved the way for the revelation of connections between illegal drugs and some Pogo sites.
“One of the most alarming discoveries stemmed from a routine investigation into the P3.9 billion drug bust in San Jose Malino, Mexico, Pampanga. The probe unearthed the illicit operations of Empire 999, a company owned by foreign nationals masquerading as Filipino citizens. This led to revelations of massive illegal land acquisitions, involving hundreds of hectares of agricultural lands, in direct violation of our Constitution,” Barbers said.
“Our inquiry delved deeper into the operations of these entities and uncovered an even more sinister reality — their connections to the illegal drug trade and organized crime activities facilitated by POGOs. What was initially presented as a revenue-generating industry has instead become a breeding ground for illegal activities such as human trafficking, money laundering, investment scams, cybercrimes, and even murder,” he added.
There were fears that operators of warehouses used to store illegal drugs were also involved in Pogos — leading to the invitation of individuals linked to the offshore games, like Ong and Guo.
At one point in the quad committee hearings, it appeared that House lawmakers were able to show a different side of Guo as she appeared to lose her cool when Davao Oriental 2nd District Rep. Cheeno Almario presented a video documentary from foreign news outlet Al Jazeera about Chinese spy She Zhijang.
In the video, She Zhijang claimed that he funneled funds to Guo Hua Ping — believed to be Guo’s true Chinese identity — for her election campaign in the Philippines. The same documentary showed Guo’s alleged hometown in Fujian, China, which sat close to a Chinese Communist Party office.
Guo was seen sneering while Almario was talking, shaking her head several times.
Guo’s case gained national attention after a Senate hearing questioned her about the Pogo hub in Bamban, which was raided for human trafficking allegations. Eventually, it was revealed that Guo had ties to the Pogo hub, as she used to head Baofu Land Development Inc., which leased land to Pogo manager Zun Yuan.
According to the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Baofu, as represented by Guo who was president of the company, purchased eight parcels of land in the town in February 2019.
Guo claims to have divested ownership of Baofu, but DILG believes the amount she divested it for — P2.5 million — was “grossly incongruent to her investment on Baufo which is approximately eight hectares of land.”
READ: DILG files graft charges vs Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo
Last August 13, the Office of the Ombudsman announced that it ordered the dismissal of Guo for grave misconduct over her “willful attempt to violate the law” as a public official who owned the sprawling property behind the municipal hall that housed illegal Pogos.