Suspended Bamban Mayor Alice Guo has connections with individuals present at the raided Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) hub in Porac, Pampanga, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian revealed on Monday.
“Based on the information we gathered, she has connections in this. We just cannot divulge the details as the investigation is ongoing. But based on the information, she has connections in this POGO hub through the partners and the people she is talking with,” Gatchalian said during a press conference after inspecting the Porac POGO hub.
While Senator Gatchalian declined to disclose specifics about Guo’s involvement in the POGO operations, he confirmed that individuals she communicated with were seen at the Porac hub. “All I can say is the people she is talking with were also seen in this POGO hub. That’s the link that we are referring to,” he noted.
Gatchalian, who has previously called for a total ban on POGOs, believes the raided POGO hubs in Porac and Bamban are connected, citing their construction during the COVID-19 pandemic as a common factor. “Based on our information, this POGO hub has links with the one in Bamban. We just cannot say the details of the link but definitely there is a link between the POGO hubs in Porac, Bamban, and other locations,” he stated.
The senator also indicated that a syndicate is responsible for constructing multiple similar facilities across the country. “Based on our information, the syndicate built several buildings like this in different parts of the country. They have different partners, they are talking with different people but the mastermind is the same,” Gatchalian added.
According to Gatchalian, these findings challenge the distinction between legal and illegal POGOs. “There is no more distinction between legal and illegal POGO because the mastermind is already involved in both. We have evidence to prove that,” he asserted.
The senator further revealed that both foreign and Filipino individuals are masterminds behind these operations, with the Filipino participants being primarily private individuals.
When GMA News Online reached out to Alice Guo’s lawyer, Stephen David, he responded, “It is difficult to comment on mere hearsay.”