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Dutertes’ allies have accused the House of using the quad comm hearings to politically harass the family, but lawmakers have insisted the inquiry is in aid of legislation
MANILA, Philippines – The House quad committee, the congressional mega panel in charge of probing alleged criminal activities that proliferated under the Duterte presidency, filed bills on Friday, October 11, seeking to institutionalize the ban on Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs) and classify extrajudicial killings (EJKs) as heinous crimes.
The submission of the measures comes in the wake of allegations raised by supporters of the Dutertes that the investigations were meant to politically harass the powerful family from Davao.
Lawmakers have denied this, insisting that the marathon hearings were in aid of legislation.
The first measure wants to classify as heinous crimes extrajudicial killings “committed by a public officer, person in authority, agent of a person in authority, or any person who is acting under the actual or apparent authority of the state,” and slap them with a penalty of life imprisonment.
The bill also seeks to grant reparations to legal heirs of EJK victims, amounting to P250,000 to P500,000 each, depending on the circumstances of their deaths. Non-monetary reparations in the form of “necessary services” that can be offered by relevant government agencies shall also be provided.
Under the proposal, a nine-member Extrajudicial Killings Claims Board under the Commission of Human Rights will be created to take the lead in reviewing applications for claims.
Drug suspects killed in police operations during the entire six years of the Rodrigo Duterte administration ranged from 6,000 to almost 8,000, based on government tallies but human rights groups believe the actual figure is somewhere between 27,000 to 30,000.
Duterte and his men are the subject of an ongoing investigation by the International Criminal Court.
POGO ban
The second measure proposes a complete ban on “all forms of offshore gaming operations in the country.” While President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. already issued such a directive during his State of the Nation Address in July, the bill expands on what exactly is prohibited.
The bill also lays out the following penalties for violators:
- First offense: jail sentence of four to six years, fine of P100,000 to P500,000
- Second offense: jail sentence of six to eight years, fine of P500,000 to P1 million
- Third offense: jail sentence of 8 to 10 years, fine of P5 million to P10 million
Foreign nationals found guilty must be deported immediately, and public officers involved must be dismissed from employment and deprived of retirement benefits, as per the bill.
The Philippines under Duterte’s leadership began processing licenses for POGO firms in 2016, in a bid to find another source of revenue for the government.
By 2019, the number of POGO hubs soared to as high as 300. Despite reports of their involvement in criminal activities and the Anti-Money Laundering Council’s report that P14 billion in POGO transactions were related to suspicious activities, Duterte did not ban offshore gambling.
The main proponents of both bills are those who have consistently figured in the quad comm hearings, namely: Senior Deputy Speaker Dong Gonzales, Deputy Speaker Jay-jay Suarez, House dangerous drugs committee chair Ace Barbers, public order and safety committee chair Dan Fernandez, human rights committee chair Bienvenido Abante, and public accounts committee chair Caraps Paduano.
Other authors include lawmakers Romeo Acop, Johnny Pimentel, Gerville Luistro, Rodge Gutierrez, Francisco Paolo Ortega V, Jefferson Khonghun, and Jonathan Keith Flores. – Rappler.com
