DOJ orders POGO workers freed, hits case buildup

By Rey Requejo, Macon Ramos-Araneta, and Vince Lopez

THE Department of Justice on Monday ordered the release of five Chinese suspects allegedly involved in human traf- ficking operations, who were arrested during a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) raid in Las Piñas City, as it lamented that the police failed in its case buildup.

But as of last night, the foreign POGO workers remained in police custody,

By Julito G. Rada and Maricel V. Cruz

THE government and the World Bank signed the agreement for a $600-million (roughly P33.3 billion) loan for a project to modernize the agriculture and fisheries sector in the country.

The World Bank and the Department of Finance, on behalf of the government, signed the deal on July 7, 2023.

The Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP) Scale-Up aims to transform the agriculture sector into a modernized and industrialized sector through public infrastructure interven- their lawyer told reporters after the DOJ ordered their release “for further preliminary investigation.”

“We told them to cooperate with us first before acting, and then they want us to file cases without evidence. Our tions and strengthening the commodity value chain.

Meanwhile, House Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez said hundreds of thousands of farmers will now have extra resources to spend on food, education, shelter, wellness, and other family expenses after the New Agrarian Emancipation Act gave them a clean slate by condoning their debts worth P57.56 billion. Romualdez said more than 600,000 agrarian reform beneficiaries can now focus on “living their lives to the full-