Gatchalian: Crime syndicates may have infiltrated gov’t agencies
Sen. Win Gatchalian Senate (Public Relations and Information Bureau)
MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian on Friday said the recent raid on a travel agency allegedly involved in issuing “questionable but genuine” Philippine government documents to foreign nationals raises suspicions that criminal syndicates may have already infiltrated government agencies.
According to Gatchalian, the agencies that might have been infiltrated include the Philippine Statistics Authority, Bureau of Immigration, Department of Foreign Affairs, and the Philippine National Police.
“It is undeniable that this scheme enables Philippine offshore gaming operators, especially after we learned that one complainant paid P900,000 to this company to free her fiancé and another paid P1.1 million for her husband’s release after a raid in Parañaque,” said Gatchalian.
According to the senator, the raid likewise highlights the need to grant the PSA “greater authority to prevent the issuance of fraudulent birth registrations and to penalize civil registrars who facilitate such fake documents.”
“Law enforcement agencies must continue their commendable efforts to dismantle these syndicates’ illegal operations, as they may be enabling the continued stay of Pogo remnants in the country,” he added.
Article continues after this advertisementPresident Ferdinand Marcos, during his third State of the Nation Address in July,
Article continues after this advertisementHe then subsequently ordered Pagcor to wind down and seize the operations of these firms by the end of 2024.
But since Marcos ordered the ban, reports came in that to various ways on how they can conceal their operations. Some even pretend to be business process outsourcing (BPO) firms.
