Quad comm turns over land-grabbing evidence to OSG

Pieces of documentary evidence have been turned over by the House of Representatives quad committee to the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) to be used for building up cases against Chinese nationals who were able to acquire large swaths of land in the country.

- By DELON PORCALLA

Presiding quad comm chairman Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, along with Representatives Dan Fernandez, Joseph Stephen Paduano and Benny Abante, led the turnover of documents to the OSG, represented by Assistant Solicitors General Hermes Ocampo and Gilbert Medrano and Senior State Solicitor Neil Lorenzo.

"We trust your office will prioritize this matter and act swiftly to protect the integrity of our nation's legal and economic systems," the lawmakers said in a statement.

They said they hope that "forfeiture cases" will be filed against the foreigners involved in illegal Philippine offshore gaming operators or POGOs.

Even prior to the creation of the quad committee, the House dangerous drugs committee chaired by Barbers had discovered some 500 titled prime lots acquired by these Chinese nationals in Central Luzon and even Metro Manila.

One of these Chinese nationals, Barbers said, was identified as Willie Ong, believed to be the brains behind the importation of 530 kilos of shabu worth P3.6 billion stashed in his warehouse in Mexico, Pampanga in September 2023.

Ong, who possesses a forged Philippine passport and other documents, together with his Chinese cohorts, established the Empire 999 real estate firm and had been able to buy 320 titled lots in various parts of Central Luzon and Metro Manila.

The quad comm is currently investigating the influx of Chinese working in illegal POGOs as well as their involvement in drug smuggling, faking of Filipino citizenship, money laundering, fraud, kidnap-for-ransom and other criminal activities.

The quad comm has called on the OSG to coordinate with other key agencies for a case build-up.