Ex-president invited anew to House hearing

THE Committee on Accountability of Public Officers and Investigations, or the blue ribbon committee, will lead the Senate investigation on the drug war and related killings during the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte.

In a recorded phone interview with dzBB radio, Senate president Francis “Chiz” Escudero said a sub-committee, to be led by minority leader Aquilino Pimentel III, will probe the revelations made during the hearings of the quad committee of the House of Representatives, including a supposed system that allegedly involved the grant of monetary rewards to cops who kill drug suspects.

Sen. Risa Hontiveros last week suggested that the Senate Committee of the Whole be convened to investigate the alleged extrajudicial killings related to the previous administration’s campaign against illegal drugs after Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa announced that he would conduct a motu proprio inquiry into the allegations made by former Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) general manager Royima Garma during the House hearings.

Sen. Christopher “Bong” Go on Thursday last week filed Senate Resolution No. 1217 directing the Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs, which is chaired by Dela Rosa, to conduct an inquiry in aid of legislation on Duterte’s war on drugs.

Dela Rosa and Go have been linked by Garma to the alleged reward system in the drug war.

Escudero said the investigation was referred to the blue ribbon committee because it is the only panel that is allowed under the Rules of the Senate to conduct motu proprio hearings when Congress is on recess.

He also said that Pimentel will lead the investigation because panel chairman Sen. Pia Cayetano, who is seeking re-election in the 2025 midterm elections, is pre-occupied.

Escudero has earlier said that neither Dela Rosa nor Go should lead the Senate hearings due to conflict of interest. He has also said that any probe led by the two senators would be seen by the public, especially their critics, as “self-serving.”

Escudero is it is best if the hearings, which will be held parallel to the House quad committee probe, are held while Congress is still on break since senators will be busy discussing the proposed national budget for next year when regular sessions resume on November 4.

QUAD COMM HEARING

The House quad committee has invited Duterte to attend tomorrow the continuation of its hearing on the EJKs even after he snubbed the panel’s previous invitations.

“The Joint Committee respectfully invites you to attend the said inquiry to provide valuable insights and shed light on the issues under discussion particularly on extra-judicial killings,” the October 18 letter signed by overall chair Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers said.

The joint panel’s chairmen have repeatedly said that it is up to the former president if he will attend the congressional inquiry or not since the House cannot require him to attend out of parliamentary courtesy extended to a former president like him.

They however strongly urged Duterte to participate in the hearings to tell his side of the story, especially since the families of the victims of summary executions have already given their testimonies to the panel.

Duterte earlier denied Garma’s claim that there was a scheme to reward killers of drug suspects, saying he only congratulated police officers who accomplished their missions and rewarded them with food.

In her affidavit which she read during the last hearing of the quad comm, Garma, who is known for his closeness to Duterte, revealed details about the roles of the former president and Go in overseeing the anti-drug operations.

Garma confirmed the creation of a national task force patterned after the “Davao Model,” which supposedly provided police with financial rewards for killing drug suspects, funding for planned operations, and reimbursement for operational expenses.

Dela Rosa was the PNP chief who implemented the drug war during the early years of the administration while Go was the special assistant to the president then.

Garma has also revealed how she was instructed by Duterte to help find a police officer who could replicate the deadly “Davao Model” nationwide. She said she recommended retired Col. Edilberto Leonardo to lead the task force.

The quad committee – composed of the Committees on Dangerous Drugs, Public Order and Safety, Human Rights, and Public Accounts – has been investigating the links between Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs), the proliferation of the illegal drugs trade, the massive property acquisition of some Chinese citizens and the reward system for the killings of drug suspects, which lawmakers have found, have been partly funded by POGO money.

Rep. Jude Acidre (PL, Tingog) said Garma’s testimony carries so much weight as it does not only implicate rogue officers in the PNP but the highest officials of the government, including Duterte and Go.

Acidre said the revelations “lay bare what many have feared: that the so-called war on drugs wasn’t just a campaign against crime–it was a state-sanctioned bloodbath.”

“The details we are hearing are appalling, and it is clear that this wasn’t an anti-drug campaign–it was a systematic execution plan with rewards for killings,” he said. “These revelations are shocking, but unfortunately, they aren’t surprising. The Duterte administration was known for its violent rhetoric, but we are now seeing how deeply entrenched this violence was in the institutions themselves.”

Garma has said Leonardo submitted a proposal for the nationwide operation directly to Duterte through Go, detailing the reward system that incentivized killings. Leonardo reportedly kept a close line of communication with Go, ensuring that every fatality was reported and that all operational costs were reimbursed.

“We are talking about a reward system for murder. This isn’t governance; this is criminal,” Acidre added. “The fact that such a system existed–and that it was reported directly to figures like Go–proves that this wasn’t a war on drugs, but a war on the most vulnerable in our society.”

‘AIR THEIR SIDE’

Escudero said the Senate probe will give Dela Rosa and Go the chance to “air their side,” not take “revenge” against anyone who implicated them on the bloody war on drugs.

“Well, hindi paghihiganti ang tingin ko roon. Ang tingin ko roon ay karapatan at obligasyon nila ‘yun bilang mga halal ng bayan na ipakita ‘yung kanilang panig at ipakita ang panig nila ng katotohanan kaugnay sa mga isyung ipinupukol sa kanila (Well, I don’t view it [the Senate hearing] as a revenge. It is their [Dela Rosa and Go]right and obligation as elected officials to present their side of what is true in connection with the accusations hurled against them). They owe nothing less to the public,” he said.

“Para ipak ita naman ‘yung kanilang panig na hindi nabigyan ng pagkakataon sa House hearings (To present their sides which were not given a chance in the House hearings),” he also said.

Escudero, in a radio interview last Saturday, said he sees nothing wrong with Dela Rosa and Go using the Senate investigation as a venue to answer the allegations against them.

He also said the two Duterte allies should not be compelled to attend the ongoing House quad committee hearings in observance of inter-parliamentary courtesy between the two houses of Congress.

‘VERY CHALLENGING TIME’

THE PNP yesterday said it is in a “very challenging time” because of the alleged involvement of several of its officers in EJKs during the Duterte administration, including the killing of retired police general Wesley Barayuga.

In a radio interview, PNP spokesperson Brig. Gen. Jean Fajardo said the only way the police force can recover from the mess is the conduct of a thorough and impartial investigation on these cases.

“This is a very challenging time for the PNP as an institution because of the cases allegedly involving some personnel of the PNP,” said Fajardo, referring to the killings.

“Our chief PNP, Gen. (Rommel Francisco) Marbil said that we owe fidelity to our people, that the only way the PNP can rise from this institutional challenge is for us to be professional in the investigation that we are doing,” she said.

Fajardo said “the PNP has started gathering evidence, we already have the case records (in relation to the killings). In fact, we are ready to file a case in relation to the Wesley Barayuga case.”

She said the PNP is just waiting for the wife of Barayuga and the family of Barayuga’s driver who was injured in the attack to review the complaint and sign the affidavit.

Apart from the Barayuga case, active and retired police officers have been linked to the 2018 killing of Tanauan, Batangas Mayor Antonio Halili and 2016 murder of Albuera, Leyte Mayor Rolando Espinosa.

“Our chief PNP has said we are not going to spare anyone in the investigation and filing of charges,” Fajardo said, adding that they will press charges against any policeman who will be found involved in the EJKs.

“No less than our SILG (secretary of the Department of Interior and Local Government), Secretary Jovic Remulla, said there will be no sacred cows in the investigation that we are doing. We owe that to the families of the victims, we owe it to the people,” said Fajardo.

Fajardo said that “as an institution, the PNP should come up with a credible investigation this time” because it cannot allow the actions of a few of its officers to destroy the image of the police force.

“That’s the only way for the PNP to rise again as an institution,” she said, adding that “it is important to give justice to the families of the victims and more than that, we have to show to the people that this (extra-judicial killings) is not the norm in our institution.”

Fajardo reiterated that while some police officers have been linked to the EJKs, the PNP did not authorize such actions.

“We have to show that the present administration is not encouraging (extra-judicial killings) and we cannot turn a blind eye on the possibility that some PNP personnel are involved,” she said.

RISKS

A lawyers group yesterday called on witnesses appearing before congressional inquiries to be mindful of their legal rights, especially when they are at risk of being held in contempt and detained.

The Quezon City Trial Lawyers League Inc., through their president, lawyer Victor Rodriquez, pointed to previous jurisprudence issued by the Supreme Court such as in Ong v. Senate where the magistrates noted that the Senate failed to uphold certain limitations, resulting in a violation of witnesses’ rights when invoking its contempt power.

Rodriguez said witnesses in congressional inquiries are only bound to answer or testify based on their personal knowledge of the issue, case or event being asked and not put forward their personal opinions, unless they are called as expert witnesses.

“The witness is required to take an oath to tell the truth based on his personal knowledge of facts. He, therefore, cannot speculate, make conclusions and opinions on the facts unless qualified as an expert,” Rodriguez said, adding that “if he does not have any personal knowledge of the facts in inquiry, he just has to say he has no personal knowledge.”

The group also pointed out that the SC has also ruled that the detention of a witness held in contempt should only continue until the conclusion of the legislative inquiry.

“Moreover, in Balag vs Senate, the Supreme Court ruled that the inquiry would terminate in two instances, namely, upon approval or disapproval of the Committee report, which is within 15 days after the conclusion of the said inquiry, and upon expiration of the Congress,” the group said.

It also cited another SC ruling in Calida vs Trillanes where the magistrates held that determining criminal guilt and conducting law enforcement activities fall outside the purview of Congress.

Lastly, the group said such congressional inquiries must be done in aid of legislation, and that the rights of persons appearing in or affected by such inquiries shall be respected.  — With Wendell Vigilia, Victor Reyes and Ashzel Hachero

SEN. Imee Marcos yesterday said she will push for full transparency during the bicameral meetings on the proposed 2025 General Appropriations Bill (GAB) as she proposed the video livestreaming of the deliberations among lawmakers.

Marcos said the proceedings should be shown to the public, similar to how congressional hearings in the Senate and the House of Representatives are being done.

“Alam ko marami sa aking kasamahan ayaw niyan. Para sa akin, bakit hindi? Ang mga finance sub-committee hearings ay naka livestream, ganoon din sa plenaryo. Sa akin walang problema, okay lang ‘yun pero alam ko maraming mag o-object. Let’s try to be expeditious and at the same time transparent (I know that many of my colleagues will oppose that. But for me, why not? The finance sub-committee [budget] hearings are livestreamed. Even the sessions in the plenary are livestreamed. That won’t be a problem for me, but I know many will object. Let’s try to be expeditious and at the same time transparent),” Marcos said at the “Kapihan sa Senado” media forum.

She said showing the bicameral deliberations to the public will be a way of letting the people know how the proposed national budget is crafted and how lawmakers decide on the final spending amount.

She added this will also discourage last-minute “insertions.”

Marcos said she is drafting a set of rules on how the bicameral meetings should be done and submit it to the Senate for consideration and approval.

“Nagda-draft nga ako ng ‘love letter’ sa proseso ng bicam. Kasi nasingitan ng kung anu-ano. Nagtaka ako kung saan galing ang AKAP. Hindi natin pinagkakaitan ng ayuda ang sinuman pero isa-ayos natin para makatiyak kung sino ang nangangailangan ang mabibigyan (I am now drafting a ‘love letter’ concerning the bicam process because it [the 2024 national budget] had so many insertions, including the AKAP [DSWD’s Ayuda para sa Kapos ang Kita Program). I do not want to deprive assistance to anyone who need it but we should make sure that it will go to the intended beneficiaries),” she said.

She said the draft rules will prevent insertions from happening during the joint meeting.

She said will give copies of her proposal to Senate President Francis Escudero and Finance Committee chairperson Sen. Grace Poe.

Marcos at the same time urged members of both houses who are in-charge of handling the budgets of the different line agencies to meet ahead of the bicameral meeting to iron out the differences in their respective versions of the budget measure so there will no more be “surprises” when they formally convene.

She also expressed hopes that senators will have a caucus so they can discuss what to do with the budget of the Office of the Vice President after the House of Representatives slashed by P1.3 billion its proposed P2.03 billion budget for next year.

ELECTIONS chairman George Garcia yesterday said all IP (internet protocol) addresses that will be used and transmission logs during the national and local elections next year will be posted on the website of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) for transparency.

In a chance interview during his visit to the DITO Network Operations Center in Taguig City, Garcia said this will be done to ensure that the Comelec is transparent in all its transactions during next year’s elections.

“Pagkatapos na pagkatapos po ng halalan, lahat ng IP addresses ng ginamit ng komisyon, lahat ng transmission logs na nangyari, pati ‘yung mga data na nakalaman doon sa transmission logs ay ilalabas po ng Comelec sa atin pong website upang hindi nagkakaroon pa ng order mula sa Kongreso upang i-produce ‘yan o kaya naman hinihingi ng mga stakeholders natin (Right after the elections, all IP addresses used by the commission, all the transmission logs, including the data in the transmission logs will be posted in the Comelec website so that an order from Congress to produce them or requests from stakeholders will not be necessary anymore),” Garcia said.

Garcia said he also ordered for an investigation on the reported sudden increase in the number of registered voters in some parts of the country.

He said he asked Director Nick Mendros, of Comelec Region 8 (Eastern Visayas), who is now detailed at the Comelec main office in Intramuros to lead a task force for the investigation.

Garcia said his instructions were to find out the reason for increase in registered voters in Makati City, and the migration of a big number of voters to Cagayan de Oro City and Nueva Ecija.

He said it was unusual that the number of registered voters increased by as much as 40 percent in these areas.

“Alamin kung ano ang puno’t dulo nung napakadami ng dagdag na mga botante lalo na diyan sa Makati (City). Kahapon din po ay pinirmahan ng inyong en banc ang dalawang resolusyon na nag-aatas din sa same task force na imbestigahan ang nangyari sa Cagayan de Oro at Nueva Ecija sapagkat napansin namin ang mass migration ng mga tao (We will find out the root cause of this because there was a sudden increase in voters, especially in Makati City. [On Wednesday], the Comelec en banc also signed two resolutions ordering the same task force to investigate the significant number of people who migrated to Cagayan de Oro City and Nueva Ecija),” he said.

“The Comelec would like to go to the bottom of this,” he added.

Garcia said the poll body has come up with a backup plan in case the transmission would fail after the elections.

“May mga plano tayo kung sakaling mag-fail ang transmission using Starlink, puedeng makapag-transmit ‘yung ibang telcos (kung) mag-fail ang transmission ng telcos, may naka standby tayong Starlink (We have a plan in case the transmission using Starlink fails since other telcos can transmit as we have Starlinks on standby),” he said.

At present, Garcia said iOne Resources Inc. has delivered 5,000 units out of the 7,000 units of Starlink satellite equipment it has committed to provide. He said the delivery will be completed by the end of the year.

He said iOne Resources Inc. has started talks with DITO Telecommunity Corporation for the contingency plan.

DISMISSED Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo, or Guo Hua Ping, has denied that she is the “Madam Wah” named by a witness as the alleged business partner of arrested Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) “boss of boss” Lin Xunhan, aka Lyu Dong.

Lawyer Stephen David, legal counsel of Guo, said his client made the denial amid reports linking her to Lin, who was arrested in Biñan, Laguna last week.

In an interview with GMA-7’s Unang Balita, David likewise said Guo has denied knowing Lin.

He quoted the dismissed mayor as saying that her only connection to the POGO industry was through Huang Zhiyang, which bought her property in Bamban where its POGO facility was put up.

“Naiinis siya kasi unang-una, wala namang katotohanan ‘yang mga ganyang alegasyon. Ang maganda niyan, nahuli naman yata ‘yung sinasabing tao na ‘yan, eh di i-crosss exam natin (She is annoyed be-cause those kinds of allegations are baseless. It is best if we can cross examine that person since he has been arrested),” David said.

The Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) has said that one of the individuals who formerly worked for Lin, who is also known as “Boss Boga,” has claimed seeing Guo transacting with Lin.

The witness supposedly said he knew as “Madam Wah.”

“Nag-aabot po si Boss Boga ng pera kay Madam Wah. Si Madam Wah ay nagre-report kay Boss Boga kung ano na ‘yung status ng pagtatayo doon sa Baofu Land. So ‘yun, magka-partner sila, mas mataas lang po sa kanya si Boss Boga (Boss Boga used to give money to Madama Wah. She reports to Boss Boga on the status of the construction [of the POGO hub in Bamban, Tarlac]. They are partners, but Boss Bo-ga is superior to her),” the witness has been quoted as saying.

Combined operatives led by the PAOCC arrested Lin on Thursday night at his house at the Las Villas de Manila subdivision in Binan, Laguna after an extensive eight-month surveillance.

The arresting team was armed with an immigration mission order.

The PAOCC described Lin as “a figure of significant concern within the landscape of organized crimes in the Philippines” who has allegedly built a systematic network of scam farms, which employed legal busi-nesses as fronts for his illegal activities since 2016.

The PAOCC said the passport that Lin was carrying when he was arrested showed his birthdate as July 4, 1991, while his other passport, which has the name Lyu Dong, had a birthdate of August 14, 1989.

David also reiterated Guo’s denial that she is a Chinese spy, saying that the allegation is hearsay.

Guo has told lawmakers that she does not know She Zhiang, a wanted Chinese man linked to human trafficking, extortion, and cyber scams, who had claimed that in a documentary shown by al Jazeera that the dismissed mayor is a Chinese spy. She was arrested in Thailand in August 2022.

Wang Fu Gui, who said he was a cellmate of She in the Thai jail, had also said that Guo is a Chinese spy based on the information supposedly shared by She.

Meanwhile, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) yesterday said Mylah Roque, the wife of former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque, has left the country even before an immigration lookout bulletin order (IL-BO) was issued against her.

BI spokesperson Dana Krizia Sandoval said Mrs. Roque left the country on September 3 and has not re-turned since.

“Si Ms. Mylah Roque po is out of the country since September 3. Her lookout bulletin order was issued on September 16,” Sandoval told the “Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon” public forum.

An ILBO will not prevent an individual from leaving the country as it is only meant to alert authorities of the subject’s travel details.

Only a hold departure order (HDO) issued by the courts can prevent an individual from leaving the coun-try.

Mrs. Roque is the subject of an arrest order issued by the quad committee of the House of Representa-tives for snubbing its inquiry into the operation of illegal POGOs.

Lawmakers are questioning the assets of the Roque couple after they noted an increase amounting to millions of pesos in just four years from 2014 to 2018.

Mrs. Roque is the signatory in the lease agreement between the Biancham Holdings and Chinese nation-als linked to the Bamban POGO who rented a house in Tuba, Benguet. Biancham Holdings is owned by the Roques.

As for the former presidential spokesman, Sandoval said: “Former spokesperson Harry Roque has no recent departure as per our records. Meron din po s’ya immigration lookout bulletin which was issued on August 6 (He is also the subject of an immigration lookout bulletin order which was issued on August 6).”

The ex-Cabinet official has been ordered arrested by the House for his refusal to submit documents that have been subpoenaed by the quad committee.

He is now the subject of a police manhunt after he went into hiding to avoid arrest.

PUBLIC HELP

PAOCC spokesman Winston Casio yesterday sought the help of the public in the campaign against PO-GOs in the country, saying law enforcers cannot accomplish this on their own.

“We need the help of the community because the community is the eyes and ears of our government and of our country,” Casio during the “Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon” public briefing.

Casio urged the public to report to authorities if they see large number of foreign nationals in their community who they believe are involved in illegal activities.

“At the end of the day, this has to be a whole-of-government fight because if this is left only to the PAOCC, PNP or NBI, we may not accomplish it since it’s (POGO) is a big problem,” he said.

PAOCC executive director Gilbert Cruz on Monday said around 100 POGO hubs are still operating despite the total POGO ban ordered by President Marcos Jr last July.

Casio admitted that a “good number” of legal POGOs have already gone underground “and we’re having difficulty catching up.”

Nevertheless, he said PAOCC is doing its best in running after these illegal POGOs, in coordination with other law enforcement agencies and local government units.

Casio also warned owners of apartments, condominiums, buildings and facilities against allowing their property to be used by POGOs.

“Please make sure that you do your due diligence because once we establish that you allowed your facili-ties to be used in such illegal activities, we are going to close (your property),” he said, adding that “we are going to file civil forfeiture (case) so the government can seize your property.”

To POGO the operators, Casio said: “Wherever you are, we are going to catch you.”

Also, Casio said that while there could be more POGO financiers on the loose, “so far we’re monitoring four as of now.”

“Most of them are Chinese and we got a few who are Malaysian-Chinese. We have leads, we’re monitor-ing them at present. We’re developing cases so we can apply for search warrants and mission orders so we can arrest them. In the next few days or weeks, maybe we can get all of them,” he said.

In a related development, Sandoval said more than 12,000 foreign POGO workers have voluntarily downgraded their visas.

The BI earlier set an October 15 deadline for foreign POGO workers to downgrade their working visas.

Visa downgrading allows foreign nationals to revert their status from a work visa to a temporary visitor visa, thereby enabling them to remain legally in the Philippines for 59 days while winding down their af-fairs.

“Sa huling tala natin nasa 12,000 na po ang nag-file for voluntary downgrading. Ngayon pong linggong ito, tomorrow po magsasara po tayo ng tally natin (Our latest tally showed that around 12,000 have already filed for voluntary downgrading. This week, tomorrow we will close the tally),” Sandoval said.

Sandoval said some of those who filed for voluntary downgrading have left the country.

She also said that majority of those who have applied for voluntary downgrading are Chinese nationals.

BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado has earlier said there will be no extensions for the visa downgrad-ing.

Meanwhile, Casio said they believe that the 11 Chinese arrested in Paracale, Camarines Sur for illegal mining last Sunday were mining for uranium.

Casio said engineers who evaluated the extraction technology used by the Chinese found out that these were not ordinary.

“They are not only meant to extract gold ore. There is possibility, they are after other minerals in Par-acale,” he said. “According to our report, there is uranium in that area in Paracale. This group is using a different technology. It’s possible that they are not only after gold but also uranium deposit.”

He also said they are looking into the involvement of a local government official in Paracale in the illegal mining of the arrested Chinese.

“They have a business partner. If I am not mistaken, a local politician in Paracale,” he said without giving a name.

Casio said the politician supposedly invited the Chinese as financiers, partners, technical experts and workers. — With Ashzel Hachero and Victor Reyes

THE Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) helped all referrals for assistance made by the office of Vice President Sara Duterte, Secretary Rex Gatchalian told senators yesterday during the agency’s briefing for its 2025 budget request.

The Vice President had previously said the DSWD rejected her office’s endorsements due to politics to justify her request for P1.909 billion for socio-economic programs, such as medical and burial assistance, disaster operations, food bags for families affected by disasters, and livelihood assistance.

On questioning of Sen. Imee Marcos, Gatchalian said all requests for assistance from the Office of the Vice President (OVP) were accommodated, which he said can be proven by the exchanges of text messages between the two agencies’ point persons.

“With me is Assistant Secretary Ulysees Aguilar. He’s the one that handles the referrals from the Office of the Vice President. Agad-agad kinausap niya ‘yung handling officer sa kabila, si Director Norman… kasi tinatanong namin sa kanya, ano ba ‘yung issue para alam namin ano ‘yung titignan (He immediately communicated with the handling officer from the OVP, who is Director Norman… we asked him what the issues were so we can readily address them),” Gatchalian said.

“In fact, ang sabi niya wala rin ho siyang alam kasi lahat naman ng referral daw nila ay malugod naming tinatanggap (He [Director Norman] told us that he could not tell what the issues were since we have gladly accommodated all of their referrals),” he added.

The OVP is asking for a P2.037 billion budget for next year. The House of Representatives had slashed by 63 percent the OVP’s budget and realigned its socio-economic funding request to the DSWD and the Department of Health.

It was Senate deputy minority leader Risa Hontiveros who first noted the P1.909 billion OVP budget request for socio-economic programs, such as medical and burial assistance, disaster operations, food bags for certain families, and livelihood assistance.

Hontiveros had said the funding could be realigned to agencies directly involved in the provision of social services to the people. The OVP, she said, can just refer all persons seeking their assistance to the proper office.

But Duterte, during the August budget hearing, said: “Kapag meron po kaming nire-refer o binibigyan ng endorsement sa DSWD, kadalasan ng sagot sa amin, hindi puwede, galing yan sa Office of the Vice President at kalaban ‘yan. Minsan po totoo ‘yan, napu-politika ang assistance para sa ating mga kababayan ((When we refer or give endorsements to the DSWD, we were often told that they cannot be allowed because it came from Office of the Vice President, it is an enemy. Sometimes it happens, that the assistance for our countrymen is politicized).”

But Gatchalian said the allegations are baseless, adding that he can provide the Senate copies of the screenshots of the text exchanges “but we have to ask permission from Director Norman if he will also consent.”

He also said the OVP has even awarded the DSWD with a plaque of recognition acknowledging it as its “valued partner.” He also promised to submit to the Senate a photo of the plaque.

“We’ll also submit to the committee a copy of the plaque that we just received middle part of this year from the OVP, saying nga that we are a valued partner, that we would always help their referrals

(We’ll also submit to the committee a copy of the plaque that we just received middle part of this year from the OVP, which says that we are a valued partner, that we would always help their referrals),” he said.

Marcos said she needed to put on record Gatchalian’s statement “to put the matter at rest and be clarified with the concerned.”

THE Department of Budget and Management yesterday said around 5,000 contractual employees serving under the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) will be regularized before the end of the year.

DBM Assistant Secretary Leonido Pulido told the Senate finance sub-committee that there is a continuing effort between the agency and the DSWD “to start the regularization of at least 4,000 to 5,000” of the latter’s contractual employees.

“Hopefully, by this year, we are looking at 4,000 to 5,000 (contractual employees). We are coordinating with the DSWD through the Office of the Secretary,” Pulido said.

Sen. Imee Marcos, the sub-committee chair, said the DSWD is the biggest violator of the law since it has the highest number of contract of service (COS) and job order (JO) workers who are hired on a short-term or per-project basis.

Marcos said the DSWD should be an example of regularizing its COS and JO workers. The would-be regularized employees form part of the DSWD’s more than 16,000 COS workers.

Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian said the 5,000 DSWD workers to be regularized are those who deliver the financial assistance for 4Ps beneficiaries.

He said under his watch, 6,135 COS employees have been made “contractual employees.”

In August, the Civil Service Commission said that the government has around 203,000 unfilled positions due to slow hiring, strict qualification requirements, and lower pay compared to the private sector.

THE Senate Committee on Women yesterday asked the Pasig and Quezon city courts to allow Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) leader pastor Apollo Quiboloy and his cohorts to be physically present at the Senate when the Committee on Women resumes its hearings on October 23.

In separate letters addressed to Pasig city Branch 159 Judge Elma Mendoza Rafallo-Lingan and Quezon city Branch 106 Judge Noel Parel, committee secretary Gemma Tanpiengco requested that Quiboloy, Jackielyn Roy, Cresente Canada aka Enteng, Paulene Canada, Ingrid Canada, and Sylvia Cemanes be allowed to attend the hearing next week.

“In view hereof, the Committee respectfully and formally request your Honor to allow the above-mentioned individuals to appear before the Committee on the date and time of the hearing previously mentioned… We appreciate and thank the Court for its graciousness and understanding,” the letters read.

Copies of the letters to the courts were shared by committee to the media.

Following an announcement that he would not participate in the Senate hearings, Quiboloy had gone into hiding which prompted the panel to cite him in contempt and issue an arrest order last March to compel him to attend the investigation.

In late August, thousands of police raided the KOJC compound in Davao City, which later forced the religious leaders and his co-accused to surrender to authorities on September 8.

Quiboloy has since been detained at the PNP Custodial Center in Camp Crame.

The Senate panel, which is chaired by Sen. Risa Hontiveros, Quiboloy has been investigating the complaints made by former members of the KOJC against the pastor, which include sexual abuses and qualified human trafficking, among others. Quiboloy has repeatedly denied the accusations.

Quiboloy is listed in the United States’ most wanted for alleged conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion and sex trafficking of children, conspiracy, and bulk cash smuggling.

Marissa Duenas, a KOJC officer who is a co-defendant of Quiboloy in the cases filed in the US, has signed a plea agreement with US authorities, admitting that she supposedly arranged the marriages of certain KOJC members to keep them in the US and evade immigration laws.

Duenas said the scheme happened from 2015 to 2020.

She was one of the KOJC officials based in the US who was arrested during the FBI’s initial raid of their church in Van Nuys in February 2020.

Hontiveros has earlier said that more witnesses are expected to testify against Quiboloy during next week’s hearing.

SENATE deputy minority leader Risa Hontiveros yesterday said dismissed Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo, whose Chinese name is Guo Hua Ping, identified “less than” 10 Filipinos and Chinese who are allegedly behind the illegal operation of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) hubs in the country during the executive session last Tuesday.

Hontiveros, who is the chairperson of the Committee on Women investigating crimes linked to the offshore gaming industry, said they will verify the names.

“Halong totoo, halong di totoo. So, pati yung mga pangalan ay sinisigurado pa namin. Kaya hindi ko mabilang kasi hindi ko alam kung alin doon ang totoo at ilan ang hindi totoo ([Her information] were a mix of truths and lies. We still need to verify the names. That’s why I still cannot tell how many names were mentioned because we don’t know which ones are real and which are not),” she said in a press conference.

“Basta kapag na-finalize namin ‘yung committee report, sasabihin namin kung sino doon ‘yung tingin talaga namin, hindi lang batay sa sinabi niya pero batay pa sa iba pa naming makakalap na mga ebidensya, ang mga perpetrators ng POGO dito sa Pilipinas, ang mga kasabwat sa pagtakas niya (Once we finalize the committee report, we will identify who they are based not only on what Guo said but based also on the evidence that we have gathered… [We will identify] who are the POGO operators here and who aided her [Guo] escape),” she also said.

Hontiveros said some of the names mentioned by Guo were not new and have been mentioned in the previous committee hearings.

“Wala ring masyadong maraming bago. May ilan na mga kapirasong sinusubukan pa naming i-follow up in open hearing (There was almost nothing new. There are bits of information that we are already trying to follow-up in open hearing),” she said.

Saying that the two executive sessions with Guo were “completely not worth it,” Hontiveros said they would no longer meet with her behind closed doors.

MASLOG, FAELDON

Hontiveros said she will schedule another hearing on the POGO issue after her committee’s hearing on the complaints of former members of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) against pastor Apollo Quiboloy.

She said new information came out during the hearing last Tuesday.

She said panel members are still discussing if they will invite former Customs Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon in the next hearing after his name was mentioned by Mary Ann Maslog, who now goes by the name Dr. Jessica Francisco, who was allegedly frequently seen in Bamban, Tarlac.

Guo, during the hearing, said Faeldon allegedly has a goat farm in Bamban.

CHINESE SPY

Hontiveros said the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is still coordinating with the Philippine embassy in Bangkok to establish contact with She Zhijiang, a wanted man in China who is now jailed in Thailand and who has said in an Al Jazeera documentary that Guo is a Chinese spy.

But Senate President Francis Escudero, at the Kapihan sa Senado media forum, said She’s statement should not be believed immediately and urged intelligence agencies to verify his allegations.

“Isa ‘yan sa dapat i-pursue ng authorities, hindi na trabaho ng Senate ‘yan na ipatawag o magpadala ng team doon (That is one information that needs to be pursued by local authorities since it is no longer the job of the Senate to summon him or send a team there in Thailand),” he said.

Escudero said it is hard to use the offense of espionage against Guo since that law only applies when the Philippines is at war with other nations, and if some information concerning national security have been stolen.

“Kaya nga nais muling tignan ng DND ang ating Anti-Espionage Law dahil sa totoo lang, wala yatang batas, kung di ako nagkakamali, na nagpaparusa sa isang spy (That’s why the Department of National Defense wants a review of our Anti-Espionage Law because there is no law that penalizes a person for being a spy, if I am not mistaken),” he added.

Hontiveros said establishing contact with She is important so the Philippine government can directly ask questions regarding his allegation that Guo is a spy.

“It is regrettable if we cannot establish contact with She… because there were information, during our ocular inspection in the raided POGO hub in Bamban, that the facility was used to intercept government communications and hacking of Philippine websites,” she said in Filipino.

INVENTORY

Senate minority leader Aquilino Pimentel III yesterday urged the government to conduct a thorough inventory of its properties following reports that a recently raided illegal POGO hub in Pasay City was situated on land owned by a government entity.

“We need to ensure that the government is not unwittingly and indirectly becoming a partner of POGO operations. If there’s even a single POGO hub that is operating on government land, it would send the wrong signal and weaken the government’s campaign against POGOs,” Pimentel said in a statement.

He was referring to a POGO hub found at the Kimberhi building on Macapagal avenue which the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) said was used as a center for love scam and cryptocurrency scamming.

It was located about 650 meters away from the Senate on a property owned by the Philippine National Construction Corporation.

“We should be mindful of where these POGO operators are operating. We must ensure that no government land is leased or rented to POGOs,” Pimentel said.

CEBU POGO

Police operatives apprehended 38 foreign nationals, believed to be Chinese, during a raid of an illegal POGO hub in Moalboal town in Cebu on Wednesday afternoon.

The Central Visayas police regional office Brig. Gen. Anthony Aberin said the intelligence-driven operation was part of their effort to end POGOs which he described as “menace.”

Lawmen swooped down at the POGO hub, located at an isolated resort in Barangay Saavedra in Moalboal, leading to the apprehension of the 38 “undocumented foreign nationals.”

Policemen said the 38 are “believed to be Chinese nationals” based on initial investigation.

The operation also resulted in the seizure of numerous computers and gadgets.

Police said the operation was conducted in collaboration with the Moalboal municipal government and Bureau of Fire Protection-Moalboal.

“Initial information relayed by the chief of police reveals that the foreigners exclusively rented the place since September 28, 2024 under highly suspicious circumstances,” the Central Visayas police said in a statement.

“Acquiring this information, the composite team initiated the inspection and visitation,” it added.

It said an “extensive investigation” is underway.

“PRO 7’s (Police Regional Office 7) strong stand against POGO, POGO-like activities and all illegal activities will continue and will remain unwavering,” said Aberin.

“With the help of the LGUs, other agencies and the community, let us make Central Visayas free from this type of menace which destroys families and our country”, added Aberin. — With Victor Reyes