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NewsTranscript
00:00According to the local officials of PORAC, the Pogo Hub is owned by a man.
00:07It is said that the Pogo Hub's business is currently in the hands of the local government
00:11despite the many questionable documents about it.
00:14We have first news from Darlene Cai.
00:2010 hectares of land, 46 houses, thousands of employees.
00:27The Pogo Hub in PORAC, Pampanga, is that big and wide.
00:31It was raided by the authorities on June 4 due to the operation of no permit.
00:35And according to reports, it is the source of crimes such as torture, kidnapping, human trafficking, sex trafficking, and scamming.
00:44This is the biggest illegal Pogo in the country.
00:48So the question of the people is, how did it get into the hands of the government?
00:55That is exactly what was discussed in a public hearing held by the Pampanga Regional Government.
01:02We have nothing to do with it.
01:03What we know is that we have a lot of trust in the LGU, in Mayor Ging,
01:07that the LGU is the one who should report if there is a danger, if there is a new business.
01:16I will not allow any crime, I will not tolerate it.
01:24In our territory, I will reiterate, I will stand my position, I'm not protecting Pogo or anyone.
01:33The local government officials of PORAC were one in the hearing led by Mayor Capil.
01:38It came out in the hearing that Lucky South 99, the operator of Pogo Hub, was given a business permit
01:45from 2019 to 2023, despite the lack of requirements and documents.
01:52They do not have a permit from the DENR Environmental Management Bureau.
01:56They also lack the required occupancy permits.
02:00As of today, on the record, how many were occupancy permits issued by your office?
02:08We haven't seen their occupancy yet.
02:10Number two, in their second application for a building permit, did you issue an occupancy permit?
02:17We have 27 occupancy permits in 27 buildings.
02:22In their third application, how many buildings were issued?
02:2513. That is without occupancy permit.
02:28Provincial board members and the Pampanga Chamber of Commerce and Industry are also surprised
02:34that within one day, Lucky South 99 was given a business permit in 2019.
02:40I am the current business permit and licensing officer. I just assumed office.
02:45Based on the records that I have now, they applied for an application around November 11, 2019.
02:54When was the business permit issued?
02:57That same day, sir.
02:59On the same day?
03:01November 11, sir.
03:03We will investigate on that.
03:05According to the Business Permit and Licensing Office,
03:08they just pre-processed the business permit application based on the documents given to them.
03:13Mayor, I just want to ask, before you issue a permit for the buildings,
03:16did you conduct an inspection?
03:19Actually, it was just a routine inspection.
03:22There are also many questionable things in the documents given by Lucky South 99 every year.
03:28Based on their business permit application from 2019 to 2023,
03:33their employees only play for two to seven.
03:38The PORAC-LGU did not give a business permit to Pogo Hub this year
03:42because of the violation seen by the BFP.
03:45Mayor Capil said that this proves that he does not approve Lucky South 99.
03:51Based on the documents given by the PORAC-LGU in the committee hearing,
03:56the PORAC-PNP asked for assistance twice from the LGU
04:00to inspect Lucky South 99 Pogo Hub.
04:03One was on August 25, 2023 and the last one was on March 24, 2024.
04:10The LGU entered and inspected Lucky South 99 Pogo Hub last August with the local police.
04:18Based on the inspection report they submitted,
04:21they saw that there was no drainage canal outside the compound,
04:24which is why a lot of water was flowing.
04:26Why is the report about drainage?
04:29What is that, drainage? Is that what you said?
04:31We were assisted also by the PNP.
04:34However, we did not receive findings on the part of PNP
04:40pursuant to their specific request.
04:43Just this March, the PNP wrote again to the PORAC-LGU.
04:48According to Police Colonel Levi Basilio,
04:50the Provincial Director of Pampanga to the PORAC Mayor Capil,
04:53they received rumors about illegal operations
04:57such as money laundering, kidnapping, and other violence against Pogo Hub in PORAC.
05:02That is why they are asking for help from the LGU
05:04to investigate and close Pogo companies in PORAC that do not have a permit.
05:10But as Mayor Capil said earlier,
05:12they were not allowed to enter the compound.
05:15Even the POC, they need a search warrant to enter the premises.
05:22That is why we do not have power.
05:24The officials of the Pampanga Provincial Government also approved
05:28a very small real property tax and payment for the renewal of the business license
05:33even though it is a huge business of Lucky South 99.
05:37In total, it is only P14,000 per year.
05:40The problem is that when I sat down, the PORAC did not have a tax mapping.
05:46But in 2019, when I sat down, I already had directives
05:52that we need to have a tax mapping.
05:54We cannot delay that.
05:55It's already there, Jing.
05:572019.
05:58But you still have a patent for P4,000 per billion.
06:02For a year.
06:03Vice Governor Pineda said that in the vastness and breadth of Pogo Hub,
06:06the billion-million-peso billion and business license fees of Lucky South 99 should be already there.
06:12It is also said that the operator of Pogo deceived them.
06:16Based on the letter of no objection or LONO that was given to them in 2019,
06:21BPO or Business Process Outsourcing is the business of Lucky South 99.
06:26No one asked what has anything to do with gaming.
06:30So the question of the Provincial Government,
06:32if this is the permit that came from the LGU,
06:35why was the PagCor license given?
06:37It is also said that it was based on the LGU officials to sign LONO and give them a permit.
06:43In all of this, the question of the officials of Pampanga Provincial Government,
06:48why did the LGU officials not immediately give notice to the violations and misconduct of Lucky South 99?
06:54For PAOK, the LGU officials are very curious.
06:58What transpired in TORAC is a very strange occurrence.
07:06Why?
07:07I don't know.
07:08They did not give the mayor's permit for 2024.
07:12But from January up until June 4, the place was operating.
07:19If the people from Metro Manila, PAOK, DOJ, CIDG,
07:24were able to notice this particular skunk farm operating without an LGU permit,
07:33how come the eyes and ears of our government, which is the LGU,
07:39was unable to notice that?
07:42The possible answer of the local government is also included in PAOK's investigation.
07:47The Pampanga Police Director who was relieved asked for help from his grandfather in the LGU,
07:56but the LGU did not take action.
07:59The DALG will look into this.
08:03We will also discuss the relationship.
08:07The mayor of TORAC will look into Lucky South 99, if there is one.
08:13The task force, the Department of Interior and Local Government, or DILG,
08:18has already formed to investigate the local government.
08:21Vice Governor Pineda said that they will recommend that the Pagbanang Pogo be prohibited
08:27in the entire province of Pampanga, legally or not.
08:30They will also study the evidence to know if they should also recommend
08:36the suspension of the PORAC LGU officials.
08:39This is the first news.
08:42Darlene Kaye for GMA Integrated News.
09:06Thanks for watching.