Tarlac provincial officials were taken by surprise by the discovery of an illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Corporation (POGO) hub in Bamban, Tarlac. The revelation came after a raid conducted earlier this year. Arvin Cabalu, the Provincial Information Officer, expressed the administration’s astonishment and lack of prior knowledge regarding the operations and the personal background of Bamban’s Mayor Alice Guo.
“Kami rin ho ay surprised. Continuing ‘yung nalalaman namin, nakakabigla rin. Hindi rin namin alam kung bakit ganyan si Mayor Guo, ‘yung mga personal background niya. Nabibigla rin kami,” Cabalu told Teleradyo Serbisyo.
Cabalu noted that while they were aware of buildings within the Baofu compound, they had no knowledge of the illegal activities being conducted there. He described Mayor Guo as cooperative in other provincial activities but emphasized the need for further investigation into her involvement with the illegal POGO hub.
“Very cooperative naman siya, hindi nga lang namin alam na may ganoong activities sa Bamban. Patuloy nga hong iniimbestigahan. Still waiting pa po kami kung anong magiging resulta po dito,” he added.
The provincial government has chosen to await the outcome of the Senate investigation before making any decisions about potential liabilities of the previous administration or further actions to be taken. The Senate is currently examining Guo’s alleged connections with the POGO operations in her jurisdiction.