Senator Sherwin Gatchalian could not help but feel disappointed that the 36 banks involved in the financial transactions of suspended Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo failed to alert government authorities in what appears to be a large-scale money laundering activity.
Gatchalian also scored the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) for its delayed reporting of “covered and suspicious” bank transactions, which surfaced only this year. Records show this has been going on since 2019.
The senator, who has been investigating Guo and her alleged ties to illicit Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations (POGO), said the banks could be held liable as he raised the possibility of collusion between the concerned financial institutions and suspected criminal organizations.
Gatchalian said he will file a resolution to look further into this new angle.
Meanwhile, the senator disclosed that P300,000 is the price tag for foreigners to obtain a fake birth certificate from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). He also learned from the Chinese community that this includes the issuance of a passport and a driver’s license.
Gatchalian believes an organized “syndicate” is behind these operations, linking it to the 200 Chinese citizens arrested by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on this issue. He is contemplating opening another Senate inquiry on this matter.
In the meantime, Gatchalian asked the PSA to provide them with immediate solutions to fix this problem.
Gatchalian also rejected the statement of Guo’s lawyer Stephen David that he violated the rights of his client when he released the records of her assets.
David claimed such tactics are an indication that the Senate has a weak case against his client, which is why senators have been subjecting Guo to a “trial by publicity.”
Gatchalian said he released the document to the media Thursday night after the Court of Appeals (CA) released the order freezing the assets of all those involved in illegal POGO activities, which included money laundering.
