House quad comm clears Porac officials in Lucky South 99 probe

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Porac, Pampanga Mayor Jaime Capil and other local officials remain under preventive suspension, though

ANGELES, Philippines – The House of Representatives’ quad committee on Tuesday, February 11, cleared suspended Porac, Pampanga Mayor Jaime Capil, along with the vice mayor and four councilors, of any wrongdoing in connection with illegal offshore gaming operations in their town. 

The certification was signed by House quad committee chairperson and Surigao del Norte 2nd District Representative Robert Ace Barbers after the panel’s investigation into illegal activities involving Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs), including Lucky South 99 in Porac.

“In so far as our exhaustive investigations done in aid of legislation regarding the POGO, being undertaken by the joint committee in the House of Representatives especially on illegal POGO operations in Porac, Pampanga, more particularly on the illegal operations of Lucky South 99, we found no involvement whatsoever nor any wrongdoing committed by Mayor Jaime V. Capil,” read part of the certification.

CERTIFICATE. A copy of a certification issued by the House quad committee shows that the panel has cleared Porac, Pampanga officials of any wrongdoing in connection with the operations of Lucky South 99.

Also cleared were suspended Vice Mayor Francis Laurence Tamayo and councilors Rafael Canlapan, Adrian Carreon, Essel Joy David, and John Nuevy Venzon.

Barbers told Rappler, “Those are our findings. But that does not preclude the agencies such as PNP or NBI from conducting their own investigation. We didn’t see anything. We cannot decide and write a committee report based on presumptions.”

For his part, Capil told a news conference on Wednesday, February 12, “We are happy. This is a vindication on our part. You know what our team went through. It’s a relief to us. We are not involved in any illegal operations of POGO. This has a big impact, especially on our constituents. This will prove that we didn’t do anything wrong. This is the answer to what they were all saying.”

Capil said he regularly attended hearings called by the quad committee, in the Senate, and in the provincial government, and has never been cited for contempt. He said he was only absent once, due to his town’s fiesta celebration.

The certification comes ahead of the start of the election campaign period for local candidates. Capil is seeking a third term alongside his daughter, Trisha Angelie, who is his running mate.

Capil and the other local officials remain suspended, though. He said he has yet to meet with his legal team to seek the lifting of their suspension based on the clearance issued by the House quad committee.

In October 2024, the Office of the Ombudsman issued a preventive suspension order against the officials, including the late councilor Regin Clarete, who passed away in May 2023. Clarete was replaced by his sister, Myla Clarete, who is now the acting mayor while Capil serves his six-month suspension.

The Porac officials were accused of gross neglect of duty in connection with POGO operations, with the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) alleging that they failed to act on reports of criminal activity at Lucky South 99, which was raided over human trafficking allegations. 

They were also accused of overlooking business permit irregularities, allowing licenses to expire, and ignoring warnings about the operation’s legality.

In October, the Ombudsman said there were sufficient grounds to hold that the evidence of guilt is strong against the officials.

The interior department alleged that the officials failed to act even after Lucky South 99’s license from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) expired. 

The DILG also said the officials did not respond to reports of criminal activity at the establishment, and several validation requests and letters from the Philippine National Police detailing allegations of serious illegal detention, cybercrime, and prostitution went unaddressed. – Rappler.com