Solon blames previous administration for opening up PH to Chinese criminals

Previous admin ‘opened up’ PH to Chinese criminals – Garin

A ranking member of the House of Representatives on Wednesday said she wants to know why the administration of former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte opened up the Philippines to the entry of Chinese nationals who are considered criminals in their own country through the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs).

During the daily press briefing at the House of Representatives, Deputy Majority Leader and Iloilo Rep. Janette Garin said that POGOs are considered illegal in China, which metes out harsh punishments to their own citizens who violate the law.

“Yun nga yung paulit-ulit naming katanungan, especially when I saw the facilities of POGO. Alam na alam ng buong mundo na banned at mortal sin at talagang kinukulong at ‘yung iba nga eh talagang fina-firing squad sa China ang mga involved sa POGO. So, why was this allowed in our country?” Garin asked.

“Bakit ni-legitimize dito sa Pilipinas, parang binuksan. I mean, we have a lot of trading partnerships with China … But what happened in the previous administration ay buksan yung bansang Pilipinas para papasukin yung mga wanted naman at ilegal sa China,” she added.

She said now fugitive Alice Guo could have explained the sudden proliferation of POGOs in the country, which is heavily penalized in China.

“Bawal na bawal siya doon, lahat ng involved sa POGO hinuhuli. Tinatanggalan ng citizenship, ina-outcast ng China … I think Alice Guo can also shed light on the group or the people who used her and paved the way for putting in the Philippines illegal operations like this na nag-mushroom na nga sa maraming bagay. Napunta na sa loan scam, napunta na sa love scam, napunta na doon sa mga kidnapping and many others,” Garin noted.

She stressed the importance of the Quad Comm probe on POGOs, illegal drugs, EJKs and many other social costs associated with foreign criminal syndicates.

“We are looking forward to the Quad Comm hearing again tomorrow and in the coming weeks and months because this will put in place, matutumbok ano ang dapat nating gawin para hindi na maulit na yung mga ilegal na bagay sa ibang bansa ay dapat ilegal din sa Pilipinas,” Garin expressed.

“Kasi matatalino ang mga Pilipino and our beloved country is not worth being a haven of criminals from other countries,” she said.