President Marcos strongly denied any knowledge about an alleged plot to implicate his predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte, and other officials to crimes perpetrated by Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs).
Responding to claims made by Sen. Ronald dela Rosa, Mr. Marcos expressed confusion over the allegation.
“Who’s Mary Ann Maslog?” he said when asked about the alleged involvement of an individual named in the supposed effort to connect Duterte, Sen. Bong Go, and Police Major General Romeo Caramat to POGO-related activities.
“I don’t know anything about that. I don’t know who this person is,” he added.
The issue surfaced during a Senate inquiry into the potential involvement of public officials in crimes associated with POGOs.
When questioned further about developments in the investigation, the chief executive noted that more individuals have come forward to aid in the government’s probe.
“As this process has been going on, more and more people are coming out of the woodwork to help us in our investigations. This is just another one of those,” he said, referring to alleged ties connecting Alice Guo to Chinese spy She Zhijiang, who is currently detained in Thailand.
The President described the revelations as part of the “natural evolution” of the ongoing investigations and hearings being conducted in the House of Representatives.
He explained that this process is helping authorities build their cases against those involved in illegal activities connected to POGOs.
“This helps the effort if people are willing to testify or provide information that will lead us to the truth. And that is what we are after,” Mr. Marcos added.
When asked about the government’s recent efforts to address espionage in the Philippines, however, the President chose to be tight-lipped, stating that discussing such matters publicly would be “counterproductive.”
The Philippine government has been cracking down on illegal POGO operations, which have been linked to various crimes, including human trafficking, money laundering, and other illicit activities.
Mr. Marcos assured the public that investigations into these operations are ongoing and that the government remains committed to uncovering the the truth.
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