Transcript of Interview: Senator Risa Hontiveros on ANC's Headstart
August 6, 2024
Transcript of Interview: Senator Risa Hontiveros on ANC's Headstart
August 06, 2024
Q: All right, let's start first with that damning revelation on 1,500 fake birth certificates issued from Davao del Sur, a barangay there, an area there, 1,500, mostly to Chinese nationals. Let's talk about just the scope of that revelation.
Senator Risa Hontiveros (SRH): So, it seems we were reasonable in worrying habang iniimbestiga si Guo Hua Ping o Mayor Alice Guo, worrying about nag-iisa lang ba siya or are there others?
Kasi nakita natin sa kaso niya na wow, so a foreign national could come to the Philippines, obtain what is later on found out to be an irregular birth certificate, pero gamit yung birth certificate na yun bilang Pilipino, nakakapag-negosyo siya dito, ganyang kalaking negosyo tulad ng isang POGO hub, use that POGO hub as a cover for various crimes, at the same time, win public office and serve inside our government, inside our state. So the scale of what is also now being investigated in another province of our country will tell us na dapat talaga to get to the bottom of the roots of our problems with POGO and with other businesses or political participation na maaaring ginagawa nila under cover of fake Filipino birth certificates or other identification documents.
Q: With that revelation first, do you believe this worsened and really started even during the time of former President Duterte? His executive order allowing POGOs, but the fact that the fake birth certificates, more than a thousand, came ironically from Davao del Sur, his home province.
SRH: Well, certainly that's part of his home region and if you put two and two together na panahon ni Duterte nag-open door policy, may EO tungkol sa POGOs and then we find out that there's this proliferation of fake birth certificates mula din sa home region niya.
Again, ibig sabihin we have to get to the bottom gaano ba kalaki, kalawak, ka-interrelated itong buong POGO phenomenon and how have the disruption or the distortion of government agencies and government processes tulad nang dapat regular na pagi-issue ng birth certificates been used para pahigpitin yung kapit ni Duterte at ng mga kasosyo niya sa negosyo at sa pulitika sa ganitong mga pagsangkapan ng government institutions and procedures natin.
Q: Okay, the POGO hearings have been continuing and I want to start first with Alice Guo. Alice Guo has not reappeared in the Senate. Is she still in the Philippines?
SRH: Everybody's guess is as good as the others. Siguro, kalahati ng kausap ko tungkol kay Guo Hua Ping o Mayor Alice are guessing that she's still here somewhere in the Philippines. Yung kalahati naman ay nag-aalala na she has already fled the country. At may iba't-ibang chismis na she's in this or that other country.
Kaya sa mga fugitives katulad niya, or for that matter, yung binanggit mong si Apollo Quiboloy, iisa lang ang mensahe ko, magpakita na kayo. Because sooner rather than later, one of the investigative or law enforcement procedures, or one of the warrants will catch up with you. Yan din ang kaso sa sitwasyon ni Guo Hua Ping.
Q: And to wrap up, essentially, the expose, the hearing on Guo Hua Ping, you had a speech, I believe, and asked, is she a Chinese citizen? In other words, her nationality has always been a question. What has the hearing determined so far?
SRH: So far, it has determined, in particular through the NBI, na yung fingerprints ni Guo Huaping as a young person na dependent, ina-appeal din ng kanyang nanay in applying for that Special Investor's Resident Visa and the fingerprints of Alice Leal Guo running for mayor in Bamban, Tarlac are one and the same person.
Napatunayan yan ng NBI sa pag-apply ni Guo Hua Ping or Alice Guo para sa NBI clearance. Napatunayan again ng Comelec dun sa fingerprints ni Alice Leal Guo in filing her certificate of candidacy for mayor of Bamban, Tarlac. So, kumbaga, sa unang moment pa lang ng mga pagpapakilala, nagsisinungaling na siya. So, there is that destruction of the presumption of regularity.
So, sa simula pa lang, yung integrity niya bilang kandidato, bilang opisyal, seriously undermined by her own actions and inaction. At kaya, sumusunod na itong quo warranto case ng Solicitor General's office sa kanya at pati yung pagkansela ng kanyang irregular birth certificate na hiningi ng Philippine Statistics Authority.
Q: So one thing that was proven really is the fact that a foreigner was able to beat the system and run for public office.
SRH: She beat the system. She and her cohorts have gamed the system. Red flag ito sa atin that we really have to audit kung gaano ba katamang higpit ang mga government procedures natin, lalo na ng mga nagi-issue ng mga importanteng dokumento natin.
It's not the point to make things difficult for our own citizens, but just to make sure na lahat tayong mga Pilipino at lalo na kung may mga dayuhan na may masamang balak na gawin dito sa ating bansa, that everybody has to follow the procedures and only we, qualified Filipinos, are able to access those documents at yung mga nakakabit na serbisyo at pribiliheyo na nakakabit nga dyan, at yung mga hindi naman Pilipino, mga dayuhan, lalo na kung dayuhan may masamang gagawin dito sa atin, are barred from entering and using the system for their own malign interests and against Filipino national interests.
Q: Now, has it been determined what exactly is the ownership or the role of Guo Hua Ping or Mayor Alice Guo in the Bamban POGO operation? She has repeatedly denied, right, that she owns a part of the POGO operations there. And has said she only owned the land and sold it to the company that put up the POGO operations. Have the hearings revealed through one way or another that she was a beneficiary of the operations?
SRH: Oh, she is. At malapit nang, I think, ma-close yung kaso dyan on the part, for example, of the Anti-Money Laundering Council. She was definitely a beneficial owner or is still a beneficial owner of the Zun Yuan POGO operations there in Bamban, Tarlac.
Hindi lamang na mukhang hindi talaga siya nag-divest ng kanyang interest sa mga kumpanya dyan, including the POGO company. She was revealed from the get go pagkatapos ng raid ng PAOCC doon sa POGO hub sa Bamban. Patuloy siya ang nagbabayad ng mga utilities, bills, ng mga sahod, ng mga nagtatrabaho diyan sa POGO hub.
Q: Siya personally? Siya personally ang nagbabayad?
SRH: Oo, nakapangalan talaga dun sa mga dokumentong iyon, mga bills, mga resibo. And until recently, she's the subject of freezing of assets and of bank accounts whose contents, the magnitude ng contents niyan, ay hindi maipaliwanag kung nagbababoy lamang or nagpapatakbo ng iba niyang mga inilistang kumpanya which are in the main medium or small size and very few large size.
At kahit ito yun, cannot show yung kanyang annual financial statements that would account for the magnitude of accounts, for example, in her frozen bank accounts. Kaya live talaga yung imbestigasyon ng AMLC on money laundering related to her POGO operations in Bamban. You know, she may not be the biggest fish in Bamban, but she is definitely a fish in that school and possibly extending the ocean. Their ocean may not be in Bamban alone kasi may mga kakabit na, may mga connection na ipinapakita pati sa POGO hub doon naman sa Porac, Pampanga. Similar cast of characters.
Q: Okay, so let's move on to that, no? The POGO Hub in Porac, Pampanga and recently, you've called Harry Roque to attend the Senate hearings. You've had a bit of an exchange there. But really, the exposé is a house in Tuba, Benguet, which is somehow connected to Atty. Harry Roque through companies. There were company covers. I want you to explain this. And at the end of the day, when it was raided, there was a Chinese national who turns out to be a fugitive who has defrauded 500,000 people, has a fake Cambodian passport. Do you believe Harry Roque is involved or is a protector of that Chinese fugitive?
SRH: That is really the subject of intense investigation on the part of my committee, the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations, and Gender Equality. And lumalabas na sa mga ulat sa inyo, sa media, hindi na lang kami ang nag-iimbestiga ng ganyang anggulo, pati na po ang PAOCC.
Dahil lumalabas talaga yung puganteng nahanap dyan sa bahay na mukhang bahay ni former Secretary Roque. He's no ordinary Chinese national, he is a fugitive wanted for defrauding up to half a million people up to this point in time. Nasa Red List pa nga ng Interpol itong si Sun Liming.
And Mr. Roque, former Secretary Attorney Roque, siya ang may-ari nung bahay through yung PH2 Corporation. Sabi niya yan naman daw, hindi daw siya ang may-ari nung bahay. Pero yung PH2 Corporation is also majority shareholder doon, ang Biancham Corporation kung saan, incorporator siya, si Atty. Roque, at yung mga associates niya. At inamin din ni Atty. Roque na may bantay siya sa bahay na yun at sinu-supervise niya yung nangyayari doon. Kaya nakapagtataka talaga sa dinami-dami ng bahay dito sa bayang Pilipinas, doon pa talaga sa sinasabing bahay niya natagpuan yung fugitive na yan.
And again, that fugitive is identified by PAOCC as the IT manager of Lucky South 99, which is the POGO company na inaareglo ni Atty. Roque, kaugnay ng mga utang niyang Lucky South 99 sa PAGCOR. So it seems that Atty. Roque and the people of Lucky South 99 are running in the same circles.
And huwag nating kalimutan na just as in the case of Mayor ALice Guo na natagpuan ang mga dokumento sa Bamban, Tarlac POGO hub, nagsimula rin itong isang direksyon ng imbestigasyon namin because documents of Atty. Roque were found in the POGO hub in Porac, Pampanga naman, doon naman sa raid ng PAOCC doon din. In that same POGO hub, nakatira yung kanyang dating executive assistant na si AR de la Serna na pinatitira doon ng Porac POGO hub nang libre.
So, lumilitaw na itong mga nakukuhang dokumento ng PAOCC, natatanggap din namin mga dokumento. They really show that practice, it's a dirty trick of corporate layering para pagmukhang inosenteng negosyo but are actually also providing a cover for POGO to which so many crimes are related and which in this particular case mukhang nagbigay din ng protective cover sa isang wanted fugitive.
Q: You know, Filipinos don't seem to take the crime seriously of protecting a fugitive or a criminal, right? What is the accountability frankly of Atty Harry Roque, a former secretary, what is his accountability if proven to be harboring a fugitive?
SRH: That's what we are closing in on sa mga hearings namin dahil sa kabila nung pagselebra talaga namin sa pagban sa POGO, in effect mag-o-oversight ang Senado these months, until the end of the year na talagang pa-wind down sa utos ni Presidente ang mga POGO. We are also, I believe, overseeing na matukoy ang accountability ng lahat ng may accountabilities dito sa pagpapatakbo ng POGO, crime-laden POGOs. In addition to that, ang mga victim-survivors may hustisya at yun na nga, matulungan magkaroon ng just transition yung mga nagtatrabaho.
In the particular case of Atty. Roque, we're closing in on siya nga ba, at mukhang we have shown that in the previous hearing, siya nga ba ay majority shareholder, may interest talaga dyan sa Biancham Corporation na ayon sa kanya mismo ay majority shareholder sa PH2 which is the owner of that house kung saan nakatira ang isang wanted fugitive, a wanted fugitive who was holding a fake passport from another country. So parang pare-parehong tricks, ano, in different countries here in Southeast Asia. A wanted fugitive na IT manager ng isang POGO company, na that Pogo company, Lucky South 99, ay nag-aabogado si Atty. Roque para sa kanya. Meron siyang lawyer-client relationship. Kasi sinamahan niyang si Cassandra Li Ong sa PAGCOR tungkol sa utang nila sa PAGCOR at nag-follow up siya. So, kumbaga may interest talaga siya dito sa fate ng Pogo Company na ito on many levels.
Q: Just very quickly, Atty Harry Roque has repeatedly said in your hearing that he does not own the home although apparently the locals know that he owns the property because he's been there, the locals have said. But he said he doesn't own the home and he's only had an interest in buying the home. So in the end, who did he say owns the home?
SRH: He said only that PH2 company owns the home. But PH2 company, ang kanyang majority shareholder ay Biancham Corporation. Yes, na sinabi din ni Harry Roque, Attorney Roque, na inamin niya, shareholder siya doon sa Biancham. In fact, majority shareholder. And in fact, he is in the process of acquiring sole ownership of Biancham. So, connect the dots.
Q: Oo. So, can a case in violation of Article 19 of the Revised Penal Code of the Philippines, be filed against Harry Roque and just to extend, people essentially who are also protecting Apollo Quiboloy, as I've said, I don't think people take it seriously that harboring a criminal or assisting in the escape of the principal of a crime or a known fugitive, it says under the law, I'm reading a part of Article 19, shall suffer the same penalty as the principal.
SRH: So that's what we are seeking to establish, Karen, sa aming imbestigasyon at isasama sa findings ng committee report at mga rekomendasyon, including possible recommendations for investigation on not just administrative but criminal charges sa lahat ng nakikita na naming may accountability dito. And if we are able to show that also present evidence of that sa aming imbestigasyon even in the case of Harry Roque then we will do so at gagamitin din namin Ito sa mga ire-rekomenda naming pag-amyenda o di kaya pagpasa ng mga bagong batas in order to cover these situations. So hanggat maaari, wala kaming patatakasin sa aming findings and recommendations sa committee report.
Q: Alright. Now let's talk about the President's order to ban POGOs. You were quite emotional on that. I saw the interview after the SONA, and I believe you did say how you appreciated the president's order. So I wanted to ask you this. I interviewed PAGCOR chair Al Tengco and his lobbying that so far there are 12 SBPOs. This is outside the 43 IGLs. He did say that Pogo and IGLs all of them banned. They all have to go. But he said there are 12 SBPOs that in effect there's no gaming but they service gaming. And he claims there are 10,000 Filipinos there. There are another six companies applying for SBPO's. There's no gaming, but he says Filipinos who do assist international gaming gives customer service. He's asking the president to spare that. What do you think?
SRH: Mabuti na lang hindi binanggit ni Chair Tengco yan sa hearing namin because I would also have taken issue with that. In fact, both he and lalo na si SolGen Menardo Guevara in our recent hearing said napaka-unequivocal ng pag-ban ni Presidente sa POGOs. Kaya hanggang ngayon sinasabi ko, goodbye POGO. Legal man kayong nagsimula o illegal, malaking tagumpay ito sa bayan na binan sila effective July 22, ordered to wind down until the end of the year, at iniutos nga din yung just transition para sa lahat ng nagtatrabaho doon. So, babantayan namin ng mahigpit. There should be no attempt to reinterpret yung klarong-klarong sinabi ni Presidente. Sabi nga ni SolGen Guevara walang qualifications kaya't wag dapat may maglobby ng anumang exemptions pati nga po yung mga special economic zones kasama lahat, yung mga nagkakaroon ng gaming sa loob pero sa visa ng PAGCOR licenses.
In fact, those PAGCOR licenses are all powerful even now, even in terms of implementing the ban. Kasi wala namang batas para sa POGO. Those were made to operate under a simple policy of Duterte, an EO. So we don't even need to wait for a law to be passed against POGOs. Simplengg kanselahin without exception, kanselahin ng PAGCOR yung mga lisensya and that should fulfill in full obedience ng buong executive. That should fulfill, that should follow the order of the president contained in his SONA ban on POGOs.
Q: But do you consider SBPO's as POGOs? So I guess they're special BPO's. Do you consider them as POGOs?
SRH: Anything that is being appealed for during this time, na wina-wind down natin at completely banned ang POGOs, I would say still in principle are covered by that POGO ban of the President. And in fact sinabi rin ni Pagcor chair Tengco, starting with PAGCOR's meeting with DOLE and other government agencies. Meron din silang magkakaroon sila ng isang plan of action, very detailed timetable until the end of the year to wind down, including studying any problematic areas covered by any individual charters in order to effect that total ban on POGOs, IGLs, and any other POGO-like entities that are in essence POGO pa rin, di ba?
Q: Okay. Now, related to that is, let's go to CEZA. Interestingly, even before 2016, even before President Duterte's EO, CEZA, this is the Cagayan Economic Zone Authority, already had i-gaming or interactive gaming. So Katrina Ponce, the head of CESA in the hearing said that they have no POGOs, they have no Pogos but they have had i-Gaming. So it turns out that overall, the Philippine Economic Zone Authority has already issued 17,000 visas to foreigners since 2021. Katrina Ponce Enrile says they've been regulating and licensing iGaming for more than 20 years. So the question now is, do you consider that iGaming should be retained and that is different from the banning of Pogos in general?
SRH: Unfortunately, offhand,iGaming sounds very close to IGL, which was the rebranding changing of nomenclature and acronym, mere changing of acronym and nomenclature of POGOs. So these could be evolutions lang of one and the same thing. Baka pare-parehong animal lang ang iGaming dati na naging POGO sa mahabang panahon na recently na-rebrand bilang IGL. And if PAGCOR chair tencgo said na ang IGL ay pareho lang ng POGO kaya subject sa POGO ban it is reasonable for us to inquire and sinabi namin sa PAGCOR noong nakaraang hearing, alamin din, hindi kaya itong naunang i-gaming ay ibang iteration lang ng POGO. 17,000 visas is no joke. That is a lot of people. And so kaya sa nakaraang hearing namin, sinabi din ni PAGCOR Chair Tengco, pag-aaralan din nila pati yung charter ng CEZA. And I hope that ang magiging direksyon ng pag-aaral na yon ng PAGCOR with other government agencies is to strictly enforce the POGO ban of the President kahit na ito ay laban sa Mala-POGO, kung patunayang Mala-POGO na iGaming sa isang naunang Export Zone Authority.
Q: Because that's the irony is prior to POGO, iGaming has existed but it was in effect, how do you say that? It was isolated, right? That's the right term. It was more controlled. In other words, all activities related to iGaming were inside the special economic zone. But what happened when the president issued the EO, reports have said that from just being in CEZA or PEZA, they've already come to the skyscrapers of Metro Manila.
Now, I wanted to ask you, a United Nations document, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, this is a UNODC document, this 2024, says that CEZA isn't completely faultless, that there is a criminal syndicate that is linked through layers of companies to an online casino, which the group is in CEZA. So my next question is, will there be a deeper investigation on CEZA? But you have Katrina Ponce and really already declaring there is no POGO in CEZA and they are against POGO.
SRH: The PAGCOR with the other government agencies should take cognizance of that UNODC document. Kasi sa isang naunang hearing din namin, the UNODC resource person said, although hindi pa tayo kasing lala ng Mekong River Delta region countries, binabantayan na rin nila yung nangyayari dito sa Pilipinas. Kumbaga, we are already a cause of concern for them. At saka kasi yung migration ng mga POGOs, hindi lang geographical, Karen.
The internet is a whole new country through which they are able to migrate. Kung noong panahon na mga unang export processing zones or export zone authorities or special economic zones, wala pang internet at akala siguro ng iba, kaya nilang kontrolin. That matter of control is out of their hands because the Internet, social media, that is a whole new country na pati yung sistema doon gine-game na ng mga POGO at POGO-like entities at ng mga criminal syndicates na talagang nanuot doon so I hope that PAGCOR will study without fear or favor, sinu-sino pa man ang may association sa kahit alin mang POGO or POGO-like entity and enforce, with full obedience, yung ban ni Presidente laban sa lahat ng POGO o IGL man ang tawag dyan, o kung mapatunayang ang iGaming kasama dyan. Lahat. Lahat ng POGO o mala-POGO banned.
Q: Oo. And I wanted to ask you, so, there's actually I believe it was explained, Chairman Al Tengco explained it, the difference of POGO which is offshore and PIGO, everything local that involves Bingo, etc, and other games essentially played by Filipinos. In an ideal world, there should be no gambling but there is. I want to ask what is the difference for you between PIGO and POGO and why should PIGO be more tolerated than POGO?
SRH: I haven't thought as much about PIGO, kaya hindi ko pa masabi kung dapat ba siyang mas i-tolerate o hindi. Basta't ang klaro sa akin is may tagumpay na tayo dito laban sa POGO. A policy ban against it ng isang presidente sa State of the Nation Address niya. So, kumbaga yung nagbunga na yung apat na taon nating imbestigasyon laban sa mga POGO. Yung mga advocates against gambling in general, they too should appreciate na malaking tagumpay ito. At kung itutuloy nila ang advocacy nila laban sa lahat ng klase ng gambling, they would probably use this as a building block or a resource. Pero para sa akin, these months until the end of the year, ang priority talaga, ang urgent talaga ay mapatupad yung ban na yan.
At masiguro na walang bago o dati ng mga entities that actually fall under the shadow of POGO na hindi ma-ban, hindi mapatigil ang operation.
Q: Let's move on to Pastor Apollo Quiboloy, another fugitive who's been in hiding now for many, many months. Just recently, the Philippine National Police relieved 15 police officers for failing to arrest Apollo Quiboloy. However, the PNP is also criticized by Quiboloy supporters for using what they say is excessive force. What do you think of this allegation?
SRH: That is an overstatement. I believe nung pinasok ng PNP yung Glory Mountain or yung Kingdom ni Apollo Quiboloy, it was to effect the warrant of arrest. Tatlo na ang warrants ni Apollo Quiboloy dito lamang sa Pilipinas. Dalawa mula sa korte at isa mula sa Senado. In addition to that, he is the subject of cases in the US, apat na kaso na umaandar hanggang sa ngayon and those will eventually catch up with him, lalo na kung ma-issuehan na rin siya ng warrants sa bisa ng mga kaso ngayon. Pag nailagay pa siya, sa red list ng Interpol, hindi lang iisa o dalawang law enforcement agencies ang hahabol sa kanya. Here also on the Philippine side, as far as I know, law enforcement agents are still on the hunt for him. So, you know, just to save us all the trouble, dapat magpakita na lamang siya at sagutin yung mga akusasyon laban sa kanya. The PNP is simply fulfilling their mandate as the primary public order institution in our country.
Q: Alright, let's talk about the ICC just before we go. Nobody's seen the document formally yet, but former Senator Antonio Trillanes says that former President Duterte, Senator Bato dela Rosa, former PNP Chief Oscar Albayalde, are in the list as suspects, or is it called blue notice? I'm trying to remember, okay? But they're in effect in the list as suspects related to the investigation on the drug war. The Solicitor General says he hasn't gotten the document but has received the same information. Your thoughts on this?
SRH: The ICC investigation ay isa sa pinakamatagal na at pinakamatindi at taimtim na inaasahan lalo na nung mga widows and orphans ng so-called war on drugs. Napaka-importanteng proseso na mapanagot si Duterte sa sinabing hanggang tens and thousands na extrajudicial killings and this administration has had flip-flopping position on the ICC. Nung simula, sinabing hindi pa dadaanin, pero sinabi pagkatapos nun pinag-aaralan kung babalik na tayo sa active participation sa International Criminal Court at pag-uphold ng Rome Statute. So paiba-iba, pero nitong huli mukhang nagiging mas consistent yung mga small signals, but signals nonetheless, simula sa DOJ noon na not out of compliance but out of courtesy and out of comity pag may hininging dokumento sa kanila, ibibigay nila, hanggang dito nga sa pinaka-recent na sinabi ng SolGen bagamat hindi active na tumutulong, papayagan na kwestiyunin ng ICC yung mga iniimbestiga nila. So this is a very long, very painful process, but painful mostly for the bereaved families of the EJK victims. I really hope na magpatuloy itong proseso, observing all the due process standards, of course, leading towards accountability and justice para sa lahat.
Q: Okay, my last question on the ICC issue is, you've said that this administration has flip-flopped. Do you see this administration is using the ICC issue as a political means, given that the Dutertes is their biggest opponent, in the coming elections? When there was UNITEAM, the President has stood and said that we will not cooperate with the ICC. And you have pundits saying now that the UNITEAM has broken. You have the administration saying this, we will, we will, we don't believe in the ICC's jurisdiction, but frankly, we can't help it if they're here investigating, etc. It's a completely different tune. What are your thoughts? Is this administration sincere in seeking out justice for the victims? Is it really just a political means to an end?
SRH: I think itong issue ng ICC, bagamat it's one of the most important issues on which the former UNITEAM is singing different tune, way beyond politics na ito, kahit para sa administration tingin ko. Kahit sila rin they have their doubts and deep discomforts about it kaya nga nagging paiba-iba yung statements nila from the start until more recently. Pero palagay ko kahit yung administrasyon nakikita niya na wala siyang kawala eh. Kung gusto niyang ibalik sa mas maayos na pagtingin ng mundo sa buong bansa natin, hindi lang sa sarili nila, sa administrasyon, they have to show, just as in the West Philippine Sea, dito rin sa ICC, yung pag-comply natin sa mga international standards, whether of rule of law at sea o sa usapin ng international law. So I think wala silang kawala dyan and sa ayaw man nila o sa hindi, whether or not issue ito on which banggaan talaga sila ng mga Duterte, I suppose it is inevitable with or without, but better with the cooperation of the administration palapit talaga tayo sa full-blown process ng ICC dito sa Pilipinas.
Q: My last question is more personal. I think in social media you've been getting a lot of congratulations for the work that you have done investigating POGOs. Actually, the Alice Guo discovery was accidental, right? In the hearing, when you were investigating POGOs, that's the irony. She wasn't being investigated at all until she suddenly couldn't answer basic questions. And then it became about her role, right? So, I think overall the president heard you, the clamor of the people. Also, there's Senator Sherwin Gatchalian's work, in the lower house also you have anti-POGO advocates but clearly the work that you have done non-stop and considering you didn't have a lot of support from your other colleagues in the beginning but you did it regardless of whether or not your colleagues supported you I think overall it's just important to put this out here. What are your thoughts in terms of being a public servant, a senator, because this is a big victory for someone like yourself who's been doing the work, right? Sometimes, there's no recognition, there's no effect. But other times, in moments like this, the victory just smells so sweet on your end.
SRH: Hindi lang kami na nasa SONA noon nung binan ni Presidente ang POGO ang pumalakpak, nag-standing ovation. I felt maraming kababayan natin din. Oo. So it's a great vindication for the Senate, yung mga anti-POGO counterparts din namin sa House. Some of them, four years ago, they already filed a bill or a resolution against POGOs.
Nitong huli, meron din silang imbestigasyon sa POGOs at may na-establish kahit kay Atty. Roque. Ito ay higit sa lahat, tagumpay ng lahat ng mga matatapang na victim-survivors at whistleblowers at witnesses na who staked a lot, some of them even their lives, to tell the truth against POGOs. Tagumpay din ito ng mga government agencies na over the years mas tumulong na sa amin yung IACAT ng DOJ, yung NBI, yung AMLC, at marami pang iba. So it's a great vindication for the Senate. It's a vindication for the Senate Committee on Women. Apat na taon ng sama-samang pagtatrabaho has really borne fruit.
It shows that investigations in aid of legislation can shine the light, the inescapable light, on those who should be held to account. It highlights yung mga victim survivors who deserve a measure of justice. It instructs us na mga legislators ano dapat ang mga ina-amend or i-repeal or bagong batas na dapat likhain. So masaya talaga ako hanggang ngayon di pa nabawasan yung saya at ginhawa na dulot nitong pag-ban sa POGOs.
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