HONTIVEROS
RACISM DENIED
CLARIFYING that the inquiry into Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo is not an attack on the Chinese community or on Chinese Filipinos, Senator Risa Hontiveros revealed that her own maternal great-grandmother was pure Chinese.
Hontiveros further said there is no truth to allegations that the hearings are targetting Chinese but all about the crime of Guo’s business partners and national security implications in light of tensions with China in the West Philippine Sea and discovery of spying activity in the raided Bamban POGO facility.
“This is not an attack on Filipinos of Chinese heritage. My own maternal great-grandmother was pure Chinese. The revelations about Mayor Alice Guo came out after evidence of her complicity in POGO-related crimes. At ang ibang ebidensya galing mismo sa kanyang mga salita,” Hontiveros said.
Hontiveros mentioned several pieces of evidence presented in various hearings which prove that a crime was committed and that the Philippine government must act accordingly based on what was discovered during the raid in Bamban, Tarlac in coordination with the proper authorities.
“Marami nang ebidensya ang nalikom laban sa mga POGO sa huling walong hearing ng aking komite. Among these is the proliferation of fake identification documents from PhilHealth IDs to passports. This just shows how Chinese POGO syndicates have managed to obtain fraudulent Filipino identities through corrupt individuals in our government agencies. At ang Malala kay Mayor Guo, she is a public servant,” Hontiveros added.
Mayor Guo, based on the hearings and documents, may be linked to the POGO operation in Bamban Tarlac that was reportedly being used as a front for human trafficking and various crime activities.
“Huwag din nating kalimutan na ang POGO sa munisipalidad ni Mayor ay may ‘di umanong hacking at surveillance activities. Considering China’s aggressive influence operations around the world, it would be remiss of the Senate not to look into this angle. Marami pang gustong ibunyag ang ilang government agencies tungkol sa POGOs, na kanilang gagawin sa executive session bago ang susunod na public hearing,” Hontiveros said as she dismissed any speculation that their focus was primarily to attack the Chinese community.
Hontiveros said the alleged racism or attack on Filipino Chinese community is possibly meant to muddle the issue and to hide the truth behind the investigation of the Senate Committee on Women, Children, family relations and Gender Equality
“Sa gitna ng lahat ng ito, inuulit ko ang paalala ko na hindi kailanman magiging katanggap-tanggap ang racism, xenophobia at Sinophobia. Regardless of our heritage, all law-abiding citizens should not be the subject of hate and discrimination. This is not a witch hunt. This is not about politics. This is about national security, criminal activities, accountability in public service, the rights and welfare of women and children, and the structural failure of our system to regulate POGO as a business model,” she pointed out
