Senators grill PNP group on POGO raid

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

SENATORS on Wednesday grilled members of the Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP-ACG) due to alleged lapses during a raid in a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) hub in Las Piñas City last June. Authorities meanwhile report another raid in an establishment in Pasay City on Tuesday evening over alleged cyber scams and held 650 persons of interest including foreign nationals.

During a Senate committee hearing, Sen. Raffy Tulfo pressed PNP-ACG Director P/Brig. Gen. Sidney Hernia on their failure to arrest the foreigners involved in the illegal POGO operations despite carrying a search warrant.

Tulfo said they could have repeatedly kicked the doors of the POGO hub or even destroyed them to get the POGO workers out of the premises. Tulfo also rebuked Hernia and his group for failing to coordinate with the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT)led by the Department of Justice (DOJ), unlike in previous raids.

Hernia however said authorities “were just being careful in dealing with foreigners.” Hernia also said Jonathan Lledo, chairman of the National Inter-Agency Task Force Against Trafficking (NIATFAT), was part of the meeting before the raid.

“In fact during the operation, the members of the IACAT, led by the prosecutor of IACAT were with us. The team of Prosecutor Jonathan Lledo was in that meeting,” Hernia said.

The senator also noted it took time before PNP-ACG called concerned agencies like the Bureau of Immigration, the Department of Social Welfare and Development, and the National Bureau of Investigation after the raid.

Pag-IBIG allots

P3b in loans for typhoon victims

PAG-IBIG Fund has allocated P3 billion in calamity loan funds to help members affected by Typhoons Egay and Falcon.

Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development Secretary Jose Rizalino L. Acuzar said Pag-IBIG Fund has allocated calamity loan funds to help affected members in Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Pangasinan, the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), Bulacan, Pampanga, Bataan, and Cavite, recover from the devastation caused by typhoons.

“We are also working closely with local government units in these areas, as we heed the call of President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. to provide our fellow Filipinos in these calamity-hit areas with all the necessary assistance,” Acuzar, who is also chairperson of the 11-member Pag-IBIG Fund Board of Trustees, said.

Under the Pag-IBIG Calamity Loan, eligible members may borrow up to 80% of their total Pag-IBIG Savings, which consist of their monthly contributions, the counterpart employer’s contributions, and accumulated dividends earned.

And in consideration of the plight of the members, the loan is offered at a rate of 5.95% per annum, which is the lowest rate in the market. The loan is payable over a period of up to three years, with a grace period of three months so that the initial payment is due only on the fourth month after the loan is released.

Qualified borrowers may apply for the calamity loan within 90 days from the date when an area has been declared under a state of calamity.