Senate to end POGO probe

THE Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality said it would soon conclude the investigation into illegal Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs) and dismissed Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo. Sen. Risa Hontiveros said the Senate would conclude the hearing after examining claims made by confessed Chinese spy She Zhijiang in an Al Jazeera documentary, alleging he and Guo worked for the Chinese Communist Party. "It seems that we need to act immediately to talk to the suspected Chinese spy, She Zhijiang, and reveal his information about Guo Hua Ping and his accomplices," the senator said. "We have learned from media sources that She — who is charged with illegally operating a casino — is currently unreachable and has been moved to a different prison facility," Hontiveros added. The senator said the government must immediately check on the veracity of She's claims that connect Guo and other individuals to the Ministry of State Security, otherwise known as the intelligence and secret police agency of China. "I am holding the Department of Foreign Affairs to its commitment during the latest Senate hearing that it is urgently exhausting all diplomatic and legal channels to allow Philippine officials, with permission from Thai authorities, to communicate with She," Hontiveros added, noting the matter has serious implications to national security. Guo was facing charges for her alleged involvement in illegal POGOs during her term as mayor of Bamban. The Office of the Ombudsman has since removed Guo from the elective post. As a result of the Senate probe on illegal POGOs, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered the closure of all POGO establishments until the end of the year.