Philippine Senator alleges former president Rodrigo Duterte benefited from offshore gambling
Risa Hontiveros presented a diagram of people she says benefited from operations.
The Philippines.- Senator Risa Hontiveros has presented a diagram of people who allegedly benefited from offshore gambling operations, including former president Rodrigo Duterte, his former spokesperson Harry Roque and the economic adviser, Michael Yang, who, Hontiveros claims “a key actor in Chinese intelligence operations”. The claims were made in the hearing on alleged criminal activities and irregularities linked to gaming operators.
Hontiveros said they “exploited” and “betrayed” Filipinos. She also showed a photo of Yang with She Zhijiang, an offshore gaming operator who had links with Alice Guo, the suspended mayor of Bamban, Tarlac.
“For five long years, counting our Pastillas investigation, the Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality tried to leave no stone unturned to unravel the many evils brought to our shores by Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators or POGOs – POGOs welcomed with open arms by the administration of former president Rodrigo Roa Duterte,” Hontiveros said.
“They have now been revealed to be nothing but a Trojan horse. They have exposed a web of people who used POGOs for their own selfish interests, their own personal gain – all at the expense of the Filipino people.”
Guo was arrested in Tangerang City, Jakarta, in September after a search. Senate inquiries uncovered bank dealings that facilitated the establishment of an offshore gaming operator in Bamban.
“Guo Hua Ping, this committee has unmasked you as a Chinese national mocking our Filipino identity to amass wealth and commit crimes against true Filipinos,” Hontiveros said during the session. “This may be the end of our hearings on POGO, but this is only the beginning of the legislative reforms that we will strive to push, to ensure to every Filipino that there will never be another Alice Guo.”
Harry Roque was accused of alleged links to Lucky South 99, an offshore gaming operation raided in Porac, Pampanga. The committee is writing a report based on the investigations, which will include suggestions for strengthening policies and guidelines against abuses in civil registration, immigration, money laundering, candidacy for public office and national security.
Offshore gaming operators linked to drug syndicates and money laundering
The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) has presented findings alleging connections between offshore gaming operators and drug syndicates and corporate fraud. During a House of Representatives hearing involving multiple committees, PDEA deputy director general, Renato Gumban said international syndicates exploited legal and corporate structures to facilitate drug trafficking, money laundering and property transactions involving foreign nationals.
He mentioned a joint operation carried out on September 24, 2023, at a warehouse in Mexico, Pampanga, that belonged to Willie Ong, identified as Cai Qimeng, who was linked to Empire 999 Realty. The land purchase was reportedly facilitated by Teddy Tumang, the dismissed mayor of Mexico. During the raid, authorities seized 560kg of shabu worth PHP3.6bn. An investigation unveiled a network of entities linked to Ong, including Golden Sun 999 Realty and Development and Yatai Industrial Park.
See also: PAOCC claims offshore gaming operators trying to avoid detection in the Philippines
