Surigao del Norte 2nd district Rep. Robert Ace Barbers (Ellson Quismorio/ MANILABULLETIN)

Surigao del Norte 2nd district Rep. Robert Ace Barbers has reiterated his belief that a highly-organized criminal syndicates--with its hands dipped in Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs), illegal drugs, ,money-laundering, and extrajudicial killings (EJKs)--is operating in the country. 

"Ako personally, I strongly believe that there is a criminal organization operating in the country which involves legal POGOs, scam hubs, drug syndicates, EJKs, and all these. Magkakasama po yan (They're interconnected)," Barbers said. 

The chairman of the House Committee on Dangerous Drugs gave these remarks after accompanying Speaker Martin Romualdez in an inspection at the alleged illegal POGO hub that is Lucky South 99 gambling house in Porac, Pampanga. 

The sprawling complex--filled with alleged torture dens and online scam paraphernalia--was raided by the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) last June. 

It is now essentially empty, save for the couple of abandoned pet cats there and the pieces of evidence that point to the illegal activities. 

"There could be a direct link itong mga POGOng ito sa mga sindikato ng drugs (between these POGOs and drug syndicates). It seems that the drugs lords or the drug syndicate launders their money through these POGOs," Barbers said. 

"Bakit natin nasabi yoon? Kasi mayroong corporations that are registered, pwedeng incorporators of these corporations, are the same incorporators of the owner of a warehouse na mayroong nakitang drugs,," he said. 

(Why did we say that? Because there are registered corporations, or incorporators of these corporations, who are the same incorporators of the owner of a warehouse that was found to have drugs.) 

The Mindanaoan was referring to Aedy Yang, an incorporator of Empire 999 Realty Inc., which purportedly owns the Mexico, Pampanga warehouse that Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) operatives raided last year. 

Recovered from the warehouse was a whopping P3.6 billion worth of "shabu" or methamphetamine hydrochloride. 

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https://mb.com.ph/2024/7/31/web-of-crime-house-joint-panel-bares-links-between-illegal-pog-os-drug-trade

"Yung Empire 999 na nagma may-ari ng droga doon sa Mexico, Pampanga ay may mga kasosyo sa mga korporasyon na kung saan ay parehas sila na mga incorporators. So yung interlocking incorporators [are] our link na maaaring involved ang mga POGOng ito direkta kay Michael Yang through his brother na nag reremit yata ng pera doon sa POGO sa Bamban, Tarlac," Barbers said. 

(Empire 999, which owns the drugs in Mexico, Pampanga, has partners within corporations wherein they are the same incorporators. So the interlocking incorporators are our link that these POGOs are somehow involved directly to Michael Yang and his brother who probably remits money to the POGO in Bamban, Tarlac.) 

Last week, the House of Representatives formally sought the arrest of Yang--former president Rodrigo Duterte's ex-economic adviser for his alleged involvement in the P3.6-billion drug bust in Mexico, Pampanga.