Senators on Wednesday, August 2, grilled members of the Philippine National Police’s Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP-ACG) over the alleged lapses in the raid they conducted on a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) hub in Las Piñas City last June.
Senators Raffy Tulfo and Risa Hontiveros grill officers of the Philippine National Police's Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP-ACG) on the procedures they followed in raiding a Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) in Las Piñas City last June, at the continuation of the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality's probe on Wednesday, Aug. 2, 2023. (Senate PRIB Photo)
Sen. Raffy Tulfo chided PNP-ACG Director P/Brig. Gen. Sidney Hernia for their group’s lapses, specifically over their lack of coordination with the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT), led by the Department of Justice (DOJ).
During the continuation of the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality on the alleged human trafficking and cyber-fraud operations inside POGO hubs, Tulfo also questioned the haphazard manner in which they conducted the search, resulting in insufficient evidence for human trafficking charges.
The senator noted that while the PNP-ACG was able to coordinate with the cops when they conducted the raids in other POGO hubs, there was none in the alleged hub in Las Piñas.
“Nagsarili kayo (You wanted to be independent). IACAT wasn’t informed… bakit hindi niyo sila sinama (Why did you not include them in the operations)?” Tulfo asked.
“Maraming mga lapses dito. In fact, ang nangyari dito parang nagkaroon ng bentahan. At ang tagal bago po itinawag, yung mga agencies na kasama, tulad ng (Bureau of) Immigration, DSWD, NBI, DOJ. Wala sila dun at the time of the raid ( There are so many lapses here. In fact, I think what happened here there was money involved. It took a long time before you called other agencies, like the BI, Department of Social Welfare and Development, National Bureau of Investigation, Department of Justice). They were not there at the time of the raid,” he pointed out.
“It took you some days before to coordinate with these agencies. Bakit? Kasi nagkaroon ng tawaran (Why? Because there was some bidding)? (Was there a) highest bidder?” the senator asked.
Tulfo also said he got information that some of the persons who were arrested during the raid were asked to cough up P200,000 to P150,000 so they can gain their freedom.
But Hernia rejected the allegations and said that the PNP-ACG made sufficient coordination with the IACAT before conducting the raid.
“I have to put it on record: there was coordination made. I have to put that on record,” Hernia said.
Hernia said Prosecutor Jonathan Lledo, chairman of the National Inter-Agency Task Force Against Trafficking (NIATFAT), was part of the meeting prior to the raid.
“In fact during the operation, the members of the IACAT, led by the prosecutor of IACAT, led by Jonathan Lledo, was with us, presiding a meeting. The team of Prosecutor Jonathan Lledo was in that meeting,” the PNP-ACG chief said.
“So I think that answers the question why there was no coordination,” he said.
As to allegations there was money involved, Hernia said he has requested the PNP’s Internal Affairs Service (PNP-IAS) to investigate and “check all these allegations.”
When asked by Sen. Risa Hontiveros, chairperson of the Senate women’s panel, to confirm or deny whether there was indeed coordination, Undersecretary Nicholas Ty said there was “improper coordination.”
“Para sa amin (for us) that was a last minute and perfunctory collaboration with the IACACT. The national task force headed by PP (provincial prosecutor) Lledo lagi naman handang tumulong eh (has always been ready to help),” Ty explained.
“Kaya kahit papano, kahit last minute kahit hindi kami involved dun sa pag secure ng search warrant, nagpadala pa rin ng tao dun sa site (No matter how they did it, even if it was last minute, even if we were not involved in securing the search warrant, we were still able to send some of our people on the site),” he added.
“It was last minute, perfunctory…that’s improper,” Ty reiterated.