By Jet D. Antolin
A LAWMAKER in the Lower House of Congress challenged the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) to name the former Cabinet member who facilitated the licensing of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) that was raided in Tarlac and Pampanga.
According to House committee on dangerous drugs chairman and Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, the former Cabinet member should not be allowed to evade accountability as their actions jeopardize the country’s security.
“PAGCOR should now name the officials who are pushing for the licensing of POGOs in Bamban, Tarlac and Pampanga and conduct a thorough investigation on this because the security of the country is at stake with what this former cabinet member is trying to sell,” Barbers said.
The lawmaker made the statement after PAGCOR Chief Alejandro Tengco revealed on Saturday that a former Cabinet member was allegedly facilitating the licensing of Zun Yuan Technology Inc. in Bamban, Tarlac and Lucky South 99 Corp. in Porac, Pampanga.
The two mentioned POGOs were raided by authorities after discovering various crimes taking place such as human trafficking, torture, prostitution, scamming, hacking, money laundering, among others, aside from operating without licenses.
Barbers was not surprised by Tengco’s revelation as he claimed that POGOs would not dare to operate and violate Philippine laws if they did not have strong connections to the government.
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