Trafficking raps of POGO workers transferred from Tarlac to Pasig

JUSTICE Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla yesterday said the Supreme Court (SC) has allowed the transfer of the non-bailable trafficking in persons cases filed against workers of the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) hub in Bamban, Tarlac from the Capas Regional Trial Court to the Pasig City RTC.

Remulla said the SC decision was in response to the DOJ letter dated April 22, 2024 addressed to Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo urging the High Court to transfer to a Metro Manila court the criminal cases against Chinese nationals Huang Zhiyang, identified by authorities during a Senate hearing as the “boss of all bosses” of illegal POGO hubs in the country, Wang Weili, Lang Xu and several others.

“The SC found the request meritorious and granted the same by ordering the RTC Branch 66 of Capas, Tarlac to transfer all files related to the disputed cases to the Pasig City RTC,” the DOJ chief said.

“I commend the SC for their unwavering commitment to safeguard the laws of the land in order to avoid miscarriage of justice,” he also said.

The respondents in the case worked at the Zun Yuan Technology Inc., one of the raided POGO hubs in Bamban town where several foreign nationals were apprehended by authorities.

The case was filed by the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) and the PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) last June, alongside a separate qualified human trafficking in persons case against dismissed Bamban mayor Alice Guo.

In his letter to the SC, Remulla cited the need to “safeguard national interest and ensure fairness’ in the justice system, considering the personalities involved.

He also said the cases exceed local boundaries which are “national security and general policies.”

In addition, Remulla said a transfer of trial will prevent possible local biases or undue influences in the proceedings.

MORE LEGAL WOES

Meanwhile, Guo is in for more legal woes as state prosecutors are expected to file this week a trafficking in persons complaint against her before the court.

DOJ Undersecretary Nicholas Felix Ty said state prosecutors have “found reasonable certainty of conviction based on available records and witnesses” to