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Cecille Suerte Felipe - The Philippine Star
February 6, 2025 | 12:00am
Sen. Risa Hontiveros, vice chairperson of the Committee on Cooperatives, attends the organizational meeting on the cooperative sector held at the Philippine Senate Monday, February 10, 2020.
Henzberg Austria / Senate PRIB
MANILA, Philippines — A Senate panel has recommended the prosecution of those involved in illegal activities related to Philippine offshore gaming operations (POGOs) and in protecting dismissed Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo.
Sen. Risa Hontiveros, chair of the Senate committee on women, children, family relations and gender equality, yesterday submitted the committee’s 54-page report on the inquiry on the crimes linked to POGOs.
In a privilege speech, Hontiveros said POGOs were used as a front to cover up crimes such as human trafficking, kidnapping, torture, prostitution, money laundering and exploitation by foreigners who obtained Filipino citizenship and entered politics, like Guo.
Hontiveros said POGO engendered corruption at the local and national levels, which was used by foreign agents like Guo and has implications on national security.
The report recommends the prosecution of those involved in illegal activities related to POGO and in protecting the dismissed mayor.
She said Tony Yang, the Chinese involved in POGO operations who allegedly fraudulently obtained Filipino citizenship, is also being charged and is being investigated for his possible intelligence work for other countries.
His brothers, economic adviser of the previous administration Michael Yang and Hongjiang Yang, are being investigated as well.
The senator said the Department of Foreign Affairs was tasked to gather information from the Chinese spy imprisoned in Thailand who claimed that Guo was a spy for China.
She added that the Bureau of Immigration is receiving a report about Guo’s escape from the country and the involvement of immigration personnel in trafficking POGO workers and the release of Filipinos to work in scam compounds abroad.
Naturalized Chinese linked to triad boss
Hontiveros also flagged the link of newly naturalized Chinese businessman Li Duan Wang to the famous Chinese triad boss Wan Kuok-koi, a leader of the “14K Triad,” one of the largest Chinese organized crime syndicates.
The senator presented a photo of Li with Wan, Macau’s most famous convict who spent 14 years in jail. Hontiveros said Wan is linked to “united front activities” of the Chinese Communist Party.
And yet, despite his links to Wan, Hontiveros said Li had his Philippine citizenship approved by both the House of Representatives and the Senate. – Marc Jayson Cayabyab
