News Roundup 10 July 2024
Jul 10, 2024 • 5 min Read
PAGCOR: Harry Roque is ‘legal head’ of raided POGO hub | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines (Updated 2:51 p.m.) — Former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque is the “legal head” of a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) hub in Pampanga that authorities raided twice last month for human trafficking, torture and scams, according to the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR) on Wednesday.
PAGCOR chief Alejandro Tengco said Roque appeared before his office in July 2023 to provide legal support to a certain Cassandra Lee Ong, who sought PAGCOR’s help on the financial issues of Lucky South 99, the sprawling POGO compound in Porac, Pampanga that she is the authorized representative of.
During the Senate women and gender equality committee’s fourth hearing, Tengco also presented the organizational chart attached to the documents submitted by Lucky South 99 for their original license application, which designated Harry Roque as “legal.”
Roque said in a video statement posted Wednesday afternoon that he has never had a lawyer-client relationship with Lucky South 99, and that the POGO hub was not yet tagged as illegal when he facilitated its reapplication for license in 2023. He added that he did not give his permission to be included in the POGO hub’s organizational chart.
This revelation by Tengco follows his earlier promise to name the former Cabinet official under then-President Rodrigo Duterte who facilitated the issuance of licenses to illegal POGO hubs.
Roque extends legal help
Tengco said Roque went to his office accompanied by Ong, the authorized representative of Lucky South 99, whom the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) has tagged as a person of interest in their investigation into the Porac hub. PAGCOR Assistant Vice President Jessa Mariz Fernandez was also present at the meeting.
Ong had asked PAGCOR to allow Lucky South 99 to pay its unpaid taxes in installments, which Tengco estimated to be no less than $500,000.
Full Story at: PAGCOR: Harry Roque is ‘legal head’ of raided POGO hub | Philstar.com
Alice Guo seeks SC intervention to avoid Senate hearings | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — The legal team of embattled Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo has petitioned the Supreme Court (SC) to annul and set aside the subpoena issued by the Senate in connection with the investigation into criminal activities involving Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs).
In a 78-page petition for review, Guo’s camp requested the high court to nullify the subpoena issued on July 1 by the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations, and Gender Equality, alleging that the Senate panel violated certain constitutional rights.
“Ironically, Public Respondent or the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality totally, whimsically, and arbitrarily discriminates against the very institution and rights it is sworn to protect,” the petition read.
“Her Constitutionally guaranteed freedoms and rights have been repeatedly violated, ignored, and/or disregarded,” it added.
On Wednesday, the Senate panel, chaired by Sen. Risa Hontiveros, cited Guo in contempt after she failed to appear at the committee’s inquiry into alleged criminal activities within the POGO industry.
Hontiveros ruled to cite Guo and others in contempt following separate motions by Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada and Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian.
Hontiveros also ruled to issue a warrant of arrest against Guo, which would need the Senate president’s signature to take effect.
Aside from the nullification of the Senate order, Guo’s camp also asked the high court to issue a temporary restraining order or a writ of preliminary injunction to compel the Senate panel to desist from further inviting her as a “resource person.”
Full Story at: Alice Guo seeks SC intervention to avoid Senate hearings | Philstar.com
Roque’s bank documents found in raided Pampanga Pogo – PAOCC | INQUIRER.NET – MANILA, Philippines — Bank documents of former Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque and his former executive assistant Alberto Rodulfo “AR” De La Serna were found in Lucky South 99 Corp., the raided Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (Pogo) hub in Pampanga, the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) said on Wednesday.
PAOCC spokesperson Winston Casio shared photos of the documents to the media after Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) chief Alejandro Tengco revealed that Roque lobbied on behalf of Lucky South 99 Corp. during a Senate probe.
“We found bank documents of Roque together with the De La Serna docs found at Lucky South 99,” Casio said in a message.
“As previously stated, we found nothing suspicious about these documents initially. But with the latest statement of Chair Tengco that Roque pressured Pagcor to grant licenses to these scam farms, these documents take on a different character. This will now be a subject of investigation,” he added.
Casio also shared a certified true copy of a Pagcor document indicating that Roque is also the legal counsel of Lucky South 99, not just the Whirlwind Corporation, which leased the land to the former.
Full Story at: Roque’s bank documents found in raided Pogo – PAOCC (inquirer.net)
‘Ex-President Duterte wants military, police to kill me,’ says Acierto | INQUIRER.NET – MANILA, Philippines — Dismissed colonel Eduardo Acierto on Wednesday claimed that former President Rodrigo Duterte wanted the military and the police to kill him due to his move to have former Presidential Economic Adviser Michael Yang and Allan Lim investigated because of their alleged link to illegal drug trade.
Acierto worked at the Philippine National Police (PNP) – Drug Enforcement Group.
“Ako rin po ang parehong Police Col. Eduardo Acierto na matagal na ipinapahanap at ipinapapatay ni Pangulong Duterte sa military at kapwa ko pulis,” Acierto told lawmakers during the House Committee on Dangerous Drugs hearing.
(I am also the same Police Col. Eduardo Acierto whom President Duterte has been trying to find and wanted to be killed by the military and my fellow policemen.)
“Pinapapatay po ako ni Duterte dahil talisod ko at pina-i-imbestigahan ko si Michael Yang at Allan Lim na malapit nilang kaibigan ni Bong Go,” he added.
(Duterte wants me to be killed because I went astray and had Michael Yang and Allan Lim, who are close friends with Bong Go, investigated.)
Full Story at: ‘Ex-President Duterte wants military, police to kill me,’ says Acierto (inquirer.net)
