Three individuals have brought charges of identity theft and document forgery against executives of a Philippine offshore gaming operator (Pogo). One of these individuals has recently been monitored by the immigration authorities due to alleged ties with an offshore gambling operator raided in Barangay Clark, Pampanga, Philippines. Unbeknownst to them, they had previously been listed as shareholders of one of its subsidiaries.
The affidavit obtained by the Inquirer on Friday (August 9) reveals that Julian Linsangan, Edwin Ang, and Marion Chua have accused 13 directors and high-ranking executives of Lucky South 99 Outsourcing Inc. of conspiring to forge signatures on multiple company documents.
On June 21, an immigration surveillance notice (Ilbo) was issued against Linsangan for his connections with Lucky South 99, which was searched by a presidential anti-organized crime task force earlier in June due to illegal activities.
According to the company's general information sheet, Linsangan, Chua, and Ang are listed as shareholders, president, financial officer, and director of Lucky South 99 respectively.
Other Participants
They first appeared before the House Joint Committee on Public Order and Safety on Wednesday, where an investigation into the illegal activities of Pogos was being conducted. They recounted how they were framed by officials of Lucky South 99.
In another sworn affidavit submitted on July 10 to the Makati City Prosecutor's Office, the defendants include Cassandra Ong, a representative of Lucky South 99. Ong's name surfaced earlier, after former Presidential Spokesman Attorney Harry Roque revealed that he accompanied her to a meeting with the chairman of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor), Alejandro Tengco, in July 2023 to discuss unpaid debts of Lucky South 99.
Other defendants include Lucky South 99 Company Secretary Ronelyn Baterna, who was accused of contempt of court for refusing to reveal the real owners of Lucky South 99 at the Wednesday's hearing; Michael and Stephanie Mascareñas; Rodrigo Bande; Xiang Tan; Jing Gu; Zhang Jie; Norman Makapagal; Rowie Bao; Dan Dela Cruz; Jessie Lago; and an unidentified Singaporean.
"Shocked"
"All the named individuals conspired and benefited from the forged documents, as they used these documents to set up Lucky South 99 Outsourcing Inc. online. Consequently, they are the forgers, illegally stealing and using my identity," stated Linsangan, Chua, and Ang in their respective affidavits.
Tan, Gu, and Jie were also named in another publication dated August 6, which also mentioned Roque. Ong has been named in publications from both June 21 and August 6. Linsangan, Chua, and Ang expressed their "shocked" reaction, stating they "have never purchased" any stock and were not even aware of what Lucky South 99 was.
They believe their involvement in this matter arose when one interviewee, Dela Cruz, contacted them in August 2023 offering an investment opportunity in a “new online gaming business,” purportedly registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Dela Cruz suggested they would need to invest at least 500,000 pesos to hold 10.3% of the business, although he told them they need not pay this amount yet.
"20% Revenue"
Instead, Dela Cruz requested copies of their ID cards, sample signatures for credit and background checks, and their tax identification numbers.
At some point in November, Linsangan, Chua, and Ang asked if they could meet ‘boss’ Ong, as referred to by Dela Cruz, to inquire about the investment.
"But Mr. Dan Dela Cruz told us that she was too busy, as she was hosting investors from Singapore and China... then he said we could have a video conference with Ms. Cassandra Ong during the aforementioned meeting," they said in their affidavits.
"After we completed the questionnaire, Ms. Cassandra Ong conducted a video conference through Mr. Dan Dela Cruz, enticing us to invest with potential annual returns of around 20%," they mentioned. "Then they told us they would call us once the credit check was completed."
Linsangan, Chua, and Ang noted that Dela Cruz and Ong did not contact them after the video conference.
The signatures were forged
However, on June 26, Chua noted that their names appeared in the news associated with Lucky South 99.
They immediately requested copies of the company documents and discovered that the signatures on the director certificates were forged. They also found out they were shareholders of the company, owning 33.33% of the shares, equivalent to 13 million pesos.
