In reaction to a photo circulating on social media that shows President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr and First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos in the same restaurant as several alleged Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations (POGO) personalities, several of the First Couple's dining companions that night have issued separate statements dismissing rumors of the Marcoses' involvement with the now-illegal industry.
Notably, the statements date the photo to before Marcos became President. Ricky Alfonso, a former Department of Transportation and Communications Undersecretary, said it was from "'20, right after Covid.”
According to the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), POGOs reached their peak in 2019, coinciding with the period when relations with China were perceived at their most vibrant.
Sandy Daza, restaurateur and media personality, stated that he remembered that night clearly. He said, "We were eating in HaoHao restaurant and there were some Chinese people who asked if we could take a photo with our group."
Noel Prudente, a former Customs official and "close friend" of the First Couple, called the photo being circulated after a press conference by the legal counsel of Cassandra Li Ong, "malicious.”
He stressed that the Marcoses were used to being asked for photos during social events.
Meanwhile, Presidential Special Envoy to China Benito Techico affirms that the photo was the result of a chance encounter with random Chinese diners. He says the group left after taking the photo.
Jose Maria "Pepe" Ortega, a Director at PAGCOR, and Alfonso, who were also at the dinner, concurred that the photo was the result of strangers asking to take a photo with their friends the Marcoses and nothing more.