House issues show cause order vs POGO-linked individuals, including Roque's 'assistant'

Roque's 'assistant' among persons who snubbed House probe

BACOLOR, Pampanga — A combination of four committees at the House of Representatives on Friday issued a show cause order against several individuals, including former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque's former "executive assistant," for snubbing its joint inquiry into the connection of Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGO) and the illegal drug trade.

The mega-panel, dubbed by lawmakers as the "quadcom," issued the show cause order against at least a dozen individuals for failing to show up to its first hearing at Bacolor, Pampanga. 

House lawmakers decided to bring its investigation to the municipality in Pampanga, according to House senior deputy speaker Aurelio Dong Gonzales, given the town's history and "resiliency" after being buried  in the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in 1991. 

"We have sacrificed too much for our municipality to be buried yet again – this time through the entry of foreign entities with malign intentions," the House leader said.

The House quad-committee was created to fuse the investigations of the dangerous drugs, public order and safety, human rights and public accounts panels to streamline its findings and pinpoint overlaps im different criminal activities.

Rep. Robert Ace Barbers (Surigao del Norte, 2nd District), chair of the House dangerous drugs panel, alleged that a criminal network is operating within the country "where drugs or drug money is being used to corrupt certain government officials to secure fake and spurious documents to misrepresent themselves as Filipinos, to be able to acquire properties or lands in the country... which are used to build front and legitimate businesses, such as POGOs."

Over a dozen issued show cause order

Among those issued a show cause order for failing to heed the committee's summons is Alberto Rodulfo “AR” Dela Serna, who Roque said was his former aide when his name appeared in documents found in the POGO hub in Porac, Pampanga.

Orders to show cause are issued to compel a person to explain or justify why no disciplinary action shall be taken against them.

The documents in the POGO hub labelled Dela Serna as Executive Assistant III with a Salary Grade 20 under the Office of the Presidential Spokesperson in 2021. Roque was the presidential spokesperson under former President Rodrigo Duterte at this time.

Roque was also absent during the hearing and cited his scheduled appearance at the Manila Regional Trial Court as reason.

Besides Dela Serna, dismissed Bamban Mayor Alice Guo was also ordered to show cause. 

Other individuals who were issued a show cause order are acting Mayor Eraño Timbang and various department heads from Bamban, Tarlac, as well as officials from Hongsheng Gaming Technology Inc., such as Thelma B. Laranan and Yu Zheng Can.

Additionally, other persons ordered to show cause are the incorporators of Baofu Land Corp., including Bernard Chua.

Key figures from Lucky South 99 Outsourcing Inc. and Lucky South 99 Corp., including president Julian M. Linsangan III, along with incorporators of Whirlwind Corp. were also compelled to explain their absence. 

Other people asked to explain their absence were incorporators of Biancham Holdings and Trading Inc., lawyer Gerald Medina, Ruperto Cruz, the owner of the controversial property in Bamban and Danny C. Corral, president and CEO of First Bataan Mariveles Holdings Corp.