THE Department of Justice (DOJ) issued an Immigration Lookout Bulletin Order (ILBO) against suspended Bamban Mayor Alice Guo and 17 others amid their alleged involvement in the illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (Pogo).
Undersecretary Margarita Gutierrez said in a public briefing on Tuesday, June 25, 2024, that the ILBO, which was signed by Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla, was forwarded to the Bureau of Immigration (BI).
“Sa bisa ng ILBO, ipinag-uutos sa BI na bantayan ang bawat kilos ng mga ito at i-alerto ang mga kinauukulan sa anumang tangka na lumabas ng bansa,” she said.
(By virtue of the ILBO, the BI is ordered to monitor their every move and alert the authorities of any attempt to leave the country.)
Included in the ILBO was former Technology and Livelihood Resource Center (TLRC) deputy director general Dennis Cunanan, who allegedly served as the authorized representative of the raided illegal Pogos in Bamban, Tarlac and Porac, Pampanga.
Gutierrez said the DOJ is also looking into putting Guo and her co-accused under a preventive hold departure order to prevent them from leaving the country amid the ongoing investigation against them.
Guo was ordered suspended by the Office of the Ombudsman in relation to the charges filed against her and several others by the Department of the Interior and Local Government over her alleged connection to Zun Yuan Technology Incorporated (ZYTI), an illegal Pogo that was raided by authorities in March, resulting in the apprehension of 800 employees including around 500 foreigners, among of which were 427 Chinese nationals.
The firm was allegedly involved in surveillance activities and hacking of government websites, as well as human trafficking and money laundering.
The Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations, and Gender Equality launched in May an investigation on ZYTI that led lawmakers to question the real nationality of Guo considering the favor she has given to the Chinese-operated firm.
On June 5, at least 186 foreign and Filipino workers were apprehended during a raid in a Pogo complex in Porac, Pampanga. Some of the victims were allegedly mauled while others were sexually abused.
The said Pogo firm, Lucky South 99, was raided and shut down on September 17, 2022 also over alleged involvement in illegal activities.
On Sunday, June 23, authorities intercepted a Chinese national who works as a manager in Lucky South 99 at the Davao International Airport. She was bound for Jinjiang, China.
Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief General Rommel Marbil said they are looking into the unreported killings involving the two illegal Pogo firms.
The PNP said it has initially established the connection between ZYTI and Lucky South 99, particularly on the people behind them and they are digging deeper for the filing of the case. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)