BI gaining in POGO war
MANY were elated by the news which came out over the weekend regarding the arrest of several “big fish” in the bid to sweep the remnants of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations (POGO) in the country.
The recent announcement by Bureau of Immigration (BI) Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado that five blacklisted Chinese nationals were apprehended in Zamboanga City was hailed by many as proof that the government is capable of getting rid of undesirable aliens.
It also shows that when competent officials like Viado are given the needed support and cooperation, they can do a great job of sealing our borders and implementing our laws.
The illegal aliens caught by Viado’s team and the PNP-CIDG appeared to be taking the usual backdoor route to evade arrest.
This is the Tawi-Tawi-to-Sabah Lane which some authorities believe was the very same escape route taken by former Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo and former Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque.
The question is, how come Viado’s team is able to prevent such an escape using this route – something that government operatives seemed unable to do in the immediate past?
We believe this is a matter of leadership. It is also possible that Viado has inspired enough integrity – or fear – among his team.
The other factor must be Viado’s ability to get the other branches of government and law enforcement agencies to cooperate with the BI like the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) and the Philippine National Police (PNP).
According to our sources, the apprehending team was offered money but refused to be paid off by the so-called “protectors” or those faceless syndicates who facilitate the escape of fugitives.
The “extrication” business is big money in this country and syndicates have been raking it in. They definitely see the likes of Viado as an obstacle to the continued proliferation of this “business”.
While many are hailing the success of the collaboration of BI, PNP and BARMM to arrest the five Chinese “big fish”, questions are also being raised on how these dangerous elements managed to attempt a backdoor exit in the first place.
The five “big fish” are linked to the outlawed POGO operations.
The multimillion-peso question now is: “How did they manage to get out of detention and attempt a daring escape using the Philippine backdoor?
We hope the public gets the answer. We hope the answers do not dampen the public’s elation following the gains of the government in its campaign against illegal and undesirable aliens.
