No paranoia, just being careful
To now question why are they here seems incongruent to the policy of encouraging tourists to come
The government did not offer any proof on spying allegations thrown at workers of Philippine offshore gaming operations (POGO), as Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said security officials were just merely being cautious.
“Personally, I think there should be no need to worry. The problem is when you see a lot
of people converge in one place. It’s very easy for these people to shift their activities to spying,” said Lorenzana.
He said as much as the government wanted people to come, invest and bring money to the country, security officials also wanted to be cautious.
“We encourage these people to come here, to invest. We are making a lot of money from these POGO workers, POGO industry, and to now question why are they here seems incongruent to the policy of encouraging tourists to come,” the Defense chief noted.
Lorenzana said the recent social media upload of a photo of an incident in Puerto Princesa may not be an act of spying at all.
“For all you know, they were not spying. They were just taking pictures for themselves,” he averred.
Could be coincidence
The official said POGO centers being near military camps and naval bases may just be happenstance.
“It could be just coincidental because these were the only facilities offered for POGO operations, and I believe that the POGO workers are here just for work only. What I am alarmed at is the potential that they could be tapped for information gathering,” Lorenzana said.
“That is why I support the relocation of the POGO centers to eco zones that are not proximate to military camps,” he added.
If he will have his way, the DND chief said he doesn’t want Chinese POGO to get near military camps.
“The areas which offered to host them like Araneta Center, Eastwood, Resorts World and Island Cove are near military installations,” Lorenzana said.
“It’s always good to think ahead, so there would be no recrimination in the future,” he added.
Meanwhile, Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff Gen. Benjamin Madrigal Jr. said the military has advocated that development and security should come together.
Spox rebuts Ping
President Rodrigo Duterte’s spokesman Salvador Panelo, meanwhile, took strong exception to the remarks of Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson that he was speaking on behalf of the Chinese embassy when he shared a message to the media.
There is nothing wrong with sharing the text message of Chinese Ambassador Zhao Jianhua as the same was made to provide a context and response to a query from a reporter on the sentiments and alarm of Lorenzana on the subject, Panelo said.
“I am the spokesperson of the President and of the entire Filipino people, including the overseas foreign workers (OFW). As the presidential spokesman, it is my duty to be transparent to the media and ultimately the public,” he said.
“If Senator Lacson is not concerned with the OFW, the Office of the President is,” Panelo indicated.
“Anything that concerns them or any policy of a host country that may affect their stay, we certainly are interested and concerned,” he averred as he asserted that 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.
Personally I think there should be no need to worry.