By Sen. Risa Hontiveros
This is not an attack on Filipinos of Chinese heritage. My own maternal great-grandmother was pure Chinese.
The revelations about Mayor Alice Guo came out after evidence of her complicity in crimes related to the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (Pogo). And the other evidence comes directly from her own words.
A lot of evidence has been gathered against the Pogos in the last eight hearings of my committee.. Among these is the proliferation of fake identification documents from PhilHealth IDs to passports. This just shows how Chinese Pogo syndicates have managed to obtain fraudulent Filipino identities through corrupt individuals in our government agencies.
And what’s worse about Mayor Guo is that she is a public servant.
Let’s not forget that the Pogo in mayor’s municipality allegedly had hacking and surveillance activities. Considering China’s aggressive influence operations around the world, it would be remiss of the Senate not to look into this angle.
Several government agencies have more to disclose about the Pogos, which they will do in an executive session before the next public hearing.
Amidst all of this, I reiterate my reminder that racism, xenophobia, and Sinophobia will never be acceptable. Regardless of our heritage, all law-abiding citizens should not be the subject of hate and discrimination.
This is not a witch hunt.
This is not about politics.
This is about national security, criminal activities, accountability in public service, the rights and welfare of women and children, and the structural failure of our system to regulate Pogo as a business model.