By Filane Mikee Cervantes | Philippine News Agency
The House Quad-Committee (Quad-Comm) has turned its investigative findings into legislative action with the filing of five bills aimed at closing legal loopholes that allegedly enabled illicit activities linked to Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs) and extrajudicial killings (EJKs) during the Duterte administration’s drug war.
In a news release on Wednesday, Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, Quad-Comm lead chair, said the series of hearings conducted by the mega-panel revealed how criminals and unscrupulous individuals or groups managed to use the “flaws, loopholes, and weaknesses” of some of the country’s existing laws to further their criminal activities.
“Sa isang simpleng pag-analisa, pinag-aralang maigi ng mga local at foreign crime syndicates ang mga kahinaan at butas ng ating mga batas at ginamit nila ito upang maisakatuparan ang kanilang mga ilegal na gawain sa ating bansa,” Barbers said.
To address these legal gaps, Barbers said the Quad-Comm filed the following measures:
- House Bill No. 10986: Classifying and penalizing extrajudicial killings as a heinous crime, while providing reparations for victims.
- House Bill No. 10987: Prohibiting all forms of offshore gaming operations in the country, with severe penalties for violations.
- House Bill No. 10998: Punishing conspiracy and proposal to commit espionage.
- House Bill No. 11043: Allowing civil forfeiture of unlawfully acquired real estate properties by foreign nationals.
- House Bill No. 11117: Providing for the administrative cancellation of birth certificates fraudulently obtained by foreign nationals.
Barbers said the Quad-Comm has also recommended at least 30 proposed amendments to strengthen existing laws and prevent past abuses from recurring.
He said the committee’s investigations were labor-intensive, involving extensive research, gathering resource persons, and analyzing critical documents.
“Napakadali lang para sa mga kritiko, lalo na iyong mga bayaran, na sirain o gibain ang ngalan at nagawa ng Quad-Comm,” Barbers said.
The Quad-Comm probe into extrajudicial killings uncovered what Barbers described as institutional impunity and abuse of power during former President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration.
Duterte, during a Nov. 13 hearing, admitted key elements of his administration’s anti-drug campaign, including the existence of the so-called Davao Death Squad and the Davao template for a reward system for police officers involved in EJKs.
Duterte assumed “full legal responsibility” for the deadly war against illegal drugs.
Barbers also underscored the illicit operations of Empire 999, a real estate firm owned by Chinese nationals posing as Filipino citizens, which was found to have links to illegal drugs, money laundering, and organized crime activities facilitated by POGOs.
“Sa ating initial na imbestigasyon dito sa Empire 999, nakita natin na ang modus operandi ng mga POGO ay gumamit ng Pinoy at Tsinoy na dummies bilang nominal owners,” he said.
