Bato: Malacañang orders implications of Duterte, allies to POGO

Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa on Tuesday raised concerns over an alleged plan by "somebody" from Malacañang to implicate former President Rodrigo Duterte and his allies in illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations (POGOs).

Dela Rosa made the allegations during the resumption of the joint hearing of the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality with Migrant Workers and Public Order and Dangerous Drugs. The hearing focused on POGOs in Bamban and the alleged ties of dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo to these operations.

Without naming the person he was referring to, a visibly upset Dela Rosa confronted Jessica Francisco, also known as Mary Ann Maslog, about the alleged scheme.

“For the record, I have information that you are being used to let Alice Guo sign an affidavit that implicates [former] president Duterte, Senator Bong Go, Senator Bato, [former] CIDG chief Romeo Caramat Jr. as the people behind the POGOs," Dela Rosa said.

“Someone from Malacañang was ordering you to do so. I can pin you down. My god! Stop tilting your head! I know that information. Is that correct?” he added.

Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada echoed the same concern and asked Francisco who accompanied her during her visits to Guo.

In response, Francisco admitted to visiting Guo at least twice at the custodial center.

“The first time I visited there, I was still with the IG,” she said, referring to the Philippine National Police (PNP) Intelligence Group.

Senators then turned to PNP Intelligence Group Chief Brig. Gen. Romeo Macapaz to clarify Francisco's role in Guo’s arrest in Indonesia. Macapaz stated that Francisco had volunteered to be part of the arrest, claiming she could convince the dismissed local chief executive to return to the Philippines.

Francisco had earlier claimed that she helped Philippine authorities capture Guo in Indonesia last month based on a text message from Indonesian authorities.

Dela Rosa subsequently moved to cite Francisco in contempt for allegedly lying to the Senate panel.

Francisco was also questioned about whether she is indeed Mary Ann Maslog, who allegedly faked her death after being implicated in the 1998 textbook scam. Francisco refused to answer, insisting that the case is still pending at the Sandiganbayan.

However, the National Bureau of Investigation confirmed that Maslog and Francisco are the same person, based on their fingerprints.

Maslog, a former textbook agent, was allegedly involved in bribing officials of the Department of Budget and Management in 1999 to favor her firm in a P200 million textbook contract. Before the Office of the Ombudsman could issue a decision in 2020, Maslog was pronounced dead by her counsel, prompting the anti-graft court to dismiss her case.