Arrest warrant issued for Porac Mayor Capil over POGO graft
MANILA, Philippines — A Pasig court has issued an arrest warrant for Porac, Pampanga Mayor Jaime Capil in connection with graft charges tied to the operation of a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) in his municipality.
The Pasig City Regional Trial Court Branch 265 released the warrant on November 28 for seven counts of violating the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act. Bail was set at P90,000.
The charges arose from a complaint filed in October 2024 by the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission and the Philippine National Police over Capil’s alleged involvement in the Porac-based POGO known as Lucky South 99.
Lucky South 99 was originally presented as an online gambling facility. Its operations were exposed in July last year when authorities raided the compound and uncovered alleged human trafficking and other illegal activities.
Its representative, Cassandra Ong, is also being sought by the Pasig court over her role in the POGO hub.
On April 3, the Office of the Ombudsman dismissed Capil for gross negligence for allegedly failing to stop POGO operations in his area.
What charges does he face?
According to the arrest warrant, Capil is charged with violating Sections 3(e) and 3(j) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
Section 3(e) penalizes any act that causes “undue injury to any party, including the Government, or giving any private party any unwarranted benefits, advantage or preference … through manifest partiality, evident bad faith or gross inexcusable negligence.”
It specifically applies to officials involved in issuing licenses, permits, or concessions.
Section 3(j) punishes “knowingly approving or granting any license, permit, privilege, or benefit” to a person not legally entitled to it — including approvals given to a representative or “dummy” acting for an unqualified individual.
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