The Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) and National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on 6 September found a government identification card (ID) during a raid on an illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) hub.

The ID was allegedly issued by the Lapu-Lapu City Government to a City Consultant.

The name printed on the ID was that of Shouqi Zhao, who operates the Tourist Garden Hotel in Barangay Agus.

He was a consultant for Chinese Business Promotions under the Office of the Mayor of Lapu-Lapu City.

Mayor Junard Chan vehemently denied Zhao’s connection with his office, citing that IDs now can be easily replicated.

No Zhao hired

“We do not have a record that we hired Zhao as a consultant. As I said, we will not issue an ID if you are hired as a consultant, only the employees of the local government in Lapu-Lapu,” Chan insisted.

This as the NBI-Cebu District Office disclosed that on 3 September, there were bundles of P1,000 cash found inside a box when an inventory was conducted.

“This was inventoried in the presence of Presidential Organized Crime Commission and Bureau of Immigration members and it turns out the total amount is P8 million,” Arnel Pura, supervising agent, NBI-Cebu District Office, said.

It was supposed to be sneaked out by a Filipino employee of Zhao, along with rice and cooking oils.

In 2019 November, the Lapu-Lapu City government gave a “Special Token of Appreciation” to Shouqui Zhao alias Zhao Long, who the president of the Lapu-Lapu City Chinese Guild honored for donating solar lamps and computers in a School in Barangay Pangan-an, Olango island.