Philippines corruption scandal lingers

Rep. Jonathan Dela Cruz, a member of the Philippines House of Representatives, is clearly dissatisfied with the results of a House and Department of Justice enquiry into the Wang Bo affair and allegations of bribery among Immigration officials and lawmakers.

He has introduced House Resolution 2255 calling on the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability to mount a new investigation into the proliferation of illegal internet gambling operations in the guise of gaming and information technology enterprises.

Our readers will recall that Wang Bo, allegedly an international online gambling ring leader wanted by the Chinese government, took refuge in the Philippines and fought stubbornly to avoid deportation back to China, giving rise to bribery and improper conduct accusations against senior Bureau of Immigration officials and lawmakers.

A House and Department of Justice probe into these allegations cleared Wang Bo of involvement, and he was subsequently deported to China…but the issues of possible violations of immigration, investments and taxation laws have lingered.

Rep. Dela Cruz said this week that over the course of the hearings on Wang Bo, he was concerned over the possibility that illegal gambling operators might also be engaged in massive tax evasion and other crimes.

He is also worried about how easily companies – particularly those engaging in “new and improved information and communications technology systems” – obtain registration papers from the Securities and Exchange Commission, and subsequently achieve licensing in the nation’s Special Economic Zones.

“The easy and loose manner by which these companies have been given ‘legal status’ to conduct their businesses has resulted in a spike in criminal activities, including but not limited to money laundering, bribery and corruption of public officials,” Dela Cruz claims.

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