00:00Gusto ko lang pong sabihin unang-una, Mr. Speaker, the time of reckoning has come.
00:10Nagalagay po sa Matthew chapter 7 and verse number 2,
00:17For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged.
00:24And with what measure ye meet, it shall be measured to you again.
00:32Kung iniisip po natin, na magagawa mo ang gusto mong gawin,
00:38na hindi mo sinusunod ang saligang batas,
00:42dahil nasa kapangyarihan ka.
00:45Dahil kung sabihin, Mr. Speaker, na matatapos din ang mga bagay na iyan,
00:51atikaw ay ahatulan ng taong bayan.
00:56Ito pong House of Representatives ay ang bahay po ng taong bayan,
01:03sabagat tayong lahat ay inelect ng taong bayan upang tayo ay magbusisi
01:12ng lahat ng katiwalaan nangyayari sa ating pamahalahan.
01:18I consider this a divine blessing to be able to rise today
01:24as the chair of the House Committee on Human Rights
01:29and co-chair of the Quad Committee
01:33to share the initial findings and recommendations of our inquiry,
01:39particularly into the extrajudicial killings
01:44that occurred during the previous administration's war on drugs.
01:51Kinaulit ko po, Mr. Speaker,
01:54kakampi ako ng dating administrasyon kapag binag-usapan po
02:01ang pag-alis ng droga sa ating bansa.
02:05Sinabi ko po ito sa ating dating Pangulo.
02:09Ang hindi ko lang maintindihan
02:11kung bakit kinakailangan merong mapatay
02:14na more than 30,000 people upang walaan drugs ito.
02:19Nawala pa ang drugs? Hindi.
02:22Nandun pa rin, Mr. Speaker.
02:25Indeed, there is a season for everything
02:30and a time for every purpose under the heaven
02:34as made clear by the Lord in Chapter 3 of the Book of Ecclesiastes.
02:41This is the most opportune time for the Joint Committee on Dangerous Drugs,
02:46Public Order and Safety, Public Accounts,
02:50and the Committee on Human Rights
02:52to present to you a progress report on our inquiry in aid of legislation.
02:58After 13 rigorous and thorough hearings of the so-called Quad Committee,
03:06we are confident that we have gathered substantial findings
03:12backed by competent evidence
03:15to make the requisite recommendations to this legislative body
03:20and to the appropriate government agencies
03:23for appropriate and decisive action.
03:27There was systematic violation of human rights
03:34and blatant disregard of due process.
03:39The deep probe into the exegetical killings, or AGKs,
03:44that occurred during the administration of former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte's war on drugs
03:53yielded a far deeper tragedy into the lives of the Filipino people
04:00rather than the protection and preservation thereof that it was heralded to accomplish.
04:08The numbers, Mr. Speaker and my dear colleagues, speak the scary truth.
04:16According to data from the Philippine National Police from July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2022,
04:257,640 individuals were killed in official police operations.
04:33Of these documented deaths, 7,173 were drug pushers,
04:40440 were drug users that should have been rehabilitated, not killed,
04:48and only 21 were drug lords.
04:52Mr. Speaker, from as far back as May 15, 2024,
04:59when my committee started digging into the EJ case,
05:04we had been presented with multiple reports indicating
05:09that there had been massive nationwide drug-related killings
05:15within the period July 2016 to June 2022.
05:20The killings were classified either as police operations
05:25or perpetrated by unknown perpetrators,
05:29which is no different from the Sinaloa type of killings in Latin America,
05:36which were notorious at the time, the drug cartel in Latin America.
05:44The 2017 Year-End Accomplishment Report of the Authority Administration
05:49highlighted as key accomplishments, my dear Speaker,
05:56the deaths of 3,967 drug personalities
06:03and 16,355 homicide cases under investigation
06:10as of 30 September 2017.
06:14It is my honor to present, together with my co-chairs of the Joint Committee
06:19comprising the Committee on Dangerous Drugs, Public Order and Safety,
06:23Human Rights and Public Accounts, also known as the QUADCOM.
06:28This progress report outlining the facts established, evidence gathered,
06:33actions taken, and recommendations for remedial legislation
06:37concerning extrajudicial killings, illegal drugs,
06:42illegal Philippine offshore gaming operators,
06:46and anomalous transactions involving local government units
06:49in connection with these unlawful activities.
06:53To date, the Joint Committee has conducted 13 public hearings
06:57and has obtained numerous testimonies of witnesses
07:01and documentary evidence in the course of its inquiry.
07:05Mr. Speaker, the Joint Committee has identified compelling evidence
07:10that necessitates prompt and decisive legal action
07:14by the appropriate government agencies,
07:17as well as urgent legislative intervention to enact laws and policies
07:22that will effectively address these critical issues.
07:26With respect to POGOS, the Joint Committee found a discernible pattern
07:31regarding their creation and operation.
07:34It starts with foreign nationals using fake documents
07:38to acquire Filipino identities,
07:41followed by land acquisition to establish POGO facilities.
07:46The construction of several buildings worth billions of pesos,
07:51the execution of lease agreements between two corporations
07:55with interlocking ownerships,
07:57followed by the application for POGO license
08:00with the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation.
08:03This was also established that criminal syndicates
08:08composed of Chinese nationals pretending to be Filipino citizens
08:12operate within the country and are responsible for various criminal activities
08:17facilitated through POGOS, including human trafficking,
08:21internet scams, and money laundering.
08:24Some of these Chinese nationals have links to the drug trade.
08:28These POGO companies include Hongsheng Gaming Technology
08:33in the Baofu compound in Bamban,
08:36where facilitated by Guo Huaping,
08:40also known as the former Bamban mayor, Alice Guo.
08:44Locky South 99, situated in the Whirlwind Corporation,
08:49leased property in Porak, Pampanga,
08:52identified with Catherine Cassandra Leong
08:56and Atorney Herminio Harry Roque Jr.
09:00Also included is Sean Wei Technology, owned by Alan Lim,
09:05also known as Wei Xiong Lim,
09:08together with his wife, Rose Nonolin.
09:12The findings of the joint committee have led to the filing of cases
09:17against Guo Huaping, Catherine Cassandra Leong,
09:22and Atorney Harry Roque and several other Chinese and Filipino
09:26incorporators of POGO companies for qualified human trafficking.
09:31Money laundering cases have also been lodged against them.
09:35Aside from Guo, Ong, and Roque,
09:39the joint committee recommends that criminal investigations be commenced
09:45to look into the involvement of other key personalities,
09:49such as Hong Ming Yang, also known as Michael Yang,
09:54his elder brother Yang Jianxin, also known as Tony Yang,
10:01and spouses Alan Lim and Rose Nonolin,
10:05into illegal POGO activities.
10:08As a result of the joint hearings,
10:11the Anti-Money Laundering Council was directed to apply with the court
10:17for the issuance of a peace order covering the assets
10:21related to the unlawful activities of Lucky South 99,
10:25Whirlwind Corporation, and Biancham Holdings.
10:29Furthermore, as a result of the findings into the illegal activities of POGOs,
10:35this representation and fellow members of the joint committee
10:40filed House Bill No. 10987
10:44or the proposed Anti-Offshore Gaming Operations Act.
10:48The bill seeks to establish ironclad provisions
10:53against the resurgence of POGOs in the country
10:57and repeals two laws related to offshore gaming.
11:03No matter how hard we try,
11:06the truth will always be revealed
11:10as to what is behind the operation of this gambling
11:14that is destroying the order and image of our country.
11:20The lives of our fellow countrymen
11:27and the lives of POGO abusers
11:33are being destroyed by the spirit of hell.
11:37Direct and indirect participation in the operation of POGO must pay the price.
11:44We cannot forget the past and move forward.
11:50We hope that the Executive Department, Mr. Speaker,
11:54through our President, Ferdinand Bongbong Marcos,
11:58will give justice to the families of the innocent people
12:02who are all victimized by these greedy crooks
12:05whose sole objective was to enrich themselves with POGO money.
12:10Mr. Speaker, at the outset,
12:13I would like to express my gratitude to the leadership
12:17for allowing me to be a part of this endeavor
12:22which I believe will greatly contribute to the nation.
12:28It is truly a great privilege to serve the country.
12:33The Joint Committee has conducted 13 public hearings
12:39and has obtained numerous testimonies of witnesses
12:44and documentary evidence in the course of its inquiry.
12:49After a thorough review of the pertinent information within each possession,
12:57the Joint Committee has identified compelling evidence
13:03that necessitates prompt and decisive legal action.
13:09On the part of the Committee on Public Accounts,
13:14this began with its investigation into the anomalous property transactions
13:20in Mexico's Pampanga,
13:23particularly those involving former Mayor Teddy Tumang
13:30and his assistant, Mr. Roy Gomez.
13:36It is now still at large
13:39because of the contempt order coming from my committee.
13:43The name of a certain Eddie Tayang surfaced
13:48who sold land to the municipality of Mexico, Pampanga,
13:52at artificially inflated prices.
13:57In collusion with local officials,
14:01Mr. Tayang purchased agricultural land,
14:04then had it reclassified as commercial industrial
14:10to increase its value,
14:13despite lacking the necessary legal requirements.
14:17To give you an idea, Mr. Speaker,
14:20the parcel measures 10,000 square meters
14:25as the lot was classified as agricultural.
14:29At the time Mr. Tayang's acquisition,
14:33its price per square meter was approximately 300 pesos,
14:40consistent with the prevailing rates for agricultural land in the area.
14:46With the lot reclassified as industrial,
14:49Mr. Tayang sold it to the municipality
14:55for 29,500,000 pesos or 2,700 pesos per square meter.
15:03This is why we investigated this issue
15:08and discovered that this has long been a modus operandi
15:13within agricultural lands are classified without following the proper process.
15:19Mr. Speaker, this is just the tip of the iceberg.
15:23As we have received numerous reports of similar cases happening across the country,
15:29the tactic involves falsifying Filipino citizenship
15:33to purchase land and establish businesses with these individuals,
15:39holding influence over certain local politicians
15:43who have sold their integrity to these illegal Chinese nationals.
15:51Because of the aforementioned findings,
15:53the Joint Committee came up with several remedial legislation
15:57to address the issues,
15:59namely House Bill 11043 and House Bill 11117,
16:06as mentioned by Chairman Ace Barber.
16:10These bills are vital in addressing the growing threat
16:16posed by influx of foreign nationals involved in illegal activities,
16:21including those connected to the pogo industry and other forms of corruption.
16:28Through these legislative measures,
16:31we intend to strengthen our national security,
16:35uphold the integrity of our citizenship laws,
16:39and protect the Filipino people and our land
16:44from unlawful foreign influence.
16:48In conclusion, Mr. Speaker,
16:50I urge the members of this esteemed body to fully support these measures
16:56as they offer essential steps towards securing our national sovereignty,
17:03protecting our land and resources,
17:05and ensuring the integrity of our citizenship laws.
17:09By enacting these measures,
17:11we take a strong stand against exploitation of our citizens
17:16by foreign nationals and criminals,
17:19and we create lasting solutions to safeguard the interests of the Filipino people.
17:25Let us work together to protect our sovereignty,
17:30uphold justice, and strengthen the rule of law
17:35for the benefit of the future generations.
17:39Before I end, Mr. Speaker,
17:42once again, let me stress,
17:45for Chairman Barber and myself,
17:49we are not running anymore in this forthcoming election.
17:56What is this for us?
17:59This is all about the love of the country,
18:03to protect the future generations.
18:07That is why we are calling for a continuous Quad Goal,
18:11a continuous fight.
18:12Thank you very much.
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