The House of Representatives has cited the need to conduct a parallel investigation in aid of legislation into Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs) as the Senate intensifies its manhunt for suspended Bamban Mayor Alice Guo and her relatives.
Sta. Rosa City Rep. Dan Fernandez, chair of the House Committee on Public Order and Safety, said his panel together with the House Games and Amusement Committee will conduct the hearing on Wednesday.
This was upon instruction from Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez.
Fernandez said the joint House panel invited the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR), National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), the Department of Justice (DOJ), Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force (PAOCTF), the League of Cities of the Philippines, and the League of Municipalities of the Philippines.
According to the committee chair, the joint panel will conduct a “comprehensive” legislative investigation on the issue to find out “criminal elements and persons involved” in the illegal POGO operations in the country.
Fernandez said the focus of the House investigation would be on details on criminal activities that were conducted inside the POGOs and not necessarily on Guo’s alone.
He also said local officials play a significant role in taking the initiative in closing down illegal POGO hubs instead of relying on the PAOCTF and the DOJ to do the tasks.
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