By Bernadette D. Nicolas & Butch Fernandez
PRESIDENT Duterte shrugged off concerns over the location of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (Pogo) facilities near military camps, but a Senate leader, echoing concerns raised by the Defense secretary, backed moves to relocate them.
Presidential Spokesman and Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador S. Panelo said on Monday the President is not worried because surveillance can be done even if they are far from these military camps anyway.
“The President said, you don’t even have to be near, because even if you are 1,000 miles away, they can spy on us. They are already high-tech and they have many satellites,” Panelo said in a Palace briefing on Monday.
The Palace spokesman’s remarks came on the heels of a statement of concern by Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana over the hosting of Pogo in areas near military camps, especially in Metro Manila, saying they may have effects on security.
Despite saying Lorenzana’s concern is “legitimate,” Panelo said the President is “not worried” since the country has the intelligence capability to know what they are doing.
“Because according to him, our capability on intelligence information is okay. So we are not worried about that,” he said.
“You know, the President said, if they are here, we also know how to find out what they are doing because we are also equipped completely when it comes to intelligence gathering,” he added.
Relocation backed
TAKING note of the alarm raised by national security officials, Senate Minority Leader Franklin M. Drilon backed Lorenzana’s proposal to immediately relocate Pogo sites amid warnings their location near Philippine military camps could be a security problem.
Drilon pointed out that “the security aspect is something we cannot just brush aside.”
In an interview with CNN Philippines Monday, the Senate Minority Leader admitted he “cannot understand why we cannot have Pogo locations farther away from military camps.”
Drilon debunked as “absurd and beyond the realm of possibility” a Chinese Embassy statement raising the possibility that overseas Filipino workers in China may also be suspected of spying.
The Senate Minority Leader vouched for Lorenzana as “a competent official and his job is to advise us on matters of security. He has nothing but good intentions. We should defer to him.”
According to Drilon, the possibility that Pogo workers could be used for information gathering is not a remote possibility. “We don’t know. Maybe not right now, but it gives them the opportunity when there’s a need for it. It’s convenient when there is a need for it. Why should we leave that chance unchecked?” said Drilon.
At the same time, he said “there is no way” Filipino workers in China could be engaged in spying activities for the Philippines. “This is absurd and simply beyond the realm of possibilities. Our OFWs are there to earn a living,” he added.
Lorenzana also earlier hit back at the statement of Chinese Ambassador Zhao Jianhua that Filipinos working in China could also be accused of spying, a remark conveyed through Panelo.
This prodded Sen. Panfilo Lacson, who wondered aloud if Panelo was working as spokesman of the Chinese Embassy.
Panelo has said there is nothing wrong with sharing the text message of the Chinese envoy as it was made to provide a context and response to a query from a reporter on Lorenzana’s remarks.
“Our overseas workers in China also deserve to be apprised of their host country’s reaction to this issue as it concerns them. It is the primordial duty of the President to serve and protect the interests of the Filipino people, whether they reside here or abroad, and as his spokesman, I take it as my responsibility to inform the public because China’s stance may need to be considered in any policy or government action with respect to Chinese nationals working here,” he said.
Panelo also took a swipe at the senator, who he said may not be concerned with the OFW.
“If Senator Lacson is not concerned with the OFWs, the Office of the President is. Anything that concerns them or any policy of a host country that may affect their stay we certainly are interested and concerned. Senator Lacson need not be reminded that as a Senator of the Republic, he represents not only Filipinos who live here but also those who work abroad, unless his statement is driven by the fact [that] the OFW [who] votes in China will not move a needle for him if he plans to run in 2022,” he added.
Image credits: Nonie Reyes