Located in Bamban, Tarlac province, the Filipino owners of a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) have surrendered to authorities, claiming that their signatures were either forged or at least misled in the operations of these centers, involving alleged trafficking, torture, and fraud of victims.

Hongsheng Gaming Technology Incorporated, the first online gambling company in Bamban, rented the Baofu compound from Alice Guo Guo Huaping.

After the Regional Trial Court (RTC) in Pasig demanded the issuance of a non-bailable arrest warrant for human trafficking, the company's founders Rita Yturralde, Rowena Evangelista, and Thelma Laranan surrendered to the NBI. They defended themselves by stating they were merely vendors incapable of operating an online gambling company, as their humble homes had been displayed at a Senate hearing.

For Yunzuan Technology—the newly renamed second POGO by Hongsheng—two initiators, Roderick Pujante and Juan Miguel Alpas, also surrendered, claiming they were misled by another Filipino directly connected to Guo.

"It may be so, they should explain to the court. As far as our investigation is concerned, they are officials of the companies we are investigating. When they face the court, they will tell the court, and it is up to the court to regard their testimony," said NBI Director Jaime Santiago at a press conference on Monday, September 23.

"They stole our data from the loan company"

According to documents from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Laranan, Evangelista, and Yturralde are among the five founders of Bamban POGO Hongsheng Gaming Technology.

Another founder of the Hongsheng Group, Merlie Joy Castro, previously testified in a Senate investigation, claiming she was just a vendor turned BPO worker and knew nothing about POGO. Castro stated she knew Laranan, Evangelista, and Yturralde because she also bought goods from them at the market.

Laranan, Evangelista, and Yturralde told the Department of Justice (DOJ) in preliminary investigations that their identities must have been stolen from the loan company, as they often borrowed money to make ends meet.

According to the indictment brought against them by the prosecutor, the three women claimed: "Their economic situation clearly shows they had no capacity to invest in Hongsheng Gaming. In fact, most of the time, they were forced to borrow money from different loan companies."

The resolution stated that Yturralde also claimed that the Tax Identification Number (TIN) appearing in the SEC documents of Hongsheng was not hers, and Laranan and Evangelista did not even have a TIN, "because they never worked at any company."

The prosecutor did not specify why they did not believe the three women's allegations but stated, "The defendants Guo, Zhang, Lin, Carreon, Huang, Laranan, Evangelista, Yturralde, Castro, Kan, Cruz, Pujante, and Alpas held key positions in Baofu Company, Hongsheng Gaming, and Yunzuan Technology, which were crucial to the organization of the aforementioned companies."

The resolution stated: "Without their participation, the establishment of Baofu, Hongsheng Gaming, and Yunzuan Technology would not have been possible, and according to Philippine law, the purpose of these companies' establishment appears to be legal."

The same resolution did not mention Laranan, Evangelista, Yturralde, and Castro, stating: "There is prima facie evidence, with reasonable certainty to prosecute the defendants Guo, Huang, Carreon, Zhang, Lin, Yu, Kunanan, Cruz, Pujante, and Alpas." Nevertheless, they were still included in the indictment recommendations and the arrest warrant from the Pasig Court.

U.S. Deputy Attorney General and head of the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) Nicholas Ty told Rappler: "Their defense is merely denial, without any basis."

"There is evidence that the operation of Bamban POGO was to have individuals act as fronts for them in exchange for economic benefits," Ty said.

The fifth and last founder of Hongsheng, also the only non-Filipino, is Chinese Yu Zheng Can. The Anti-Money Laundering Council discovered a joint bank account, which was Can and Michael Yang's brother (a former presidential economic adviser). This bank account has been frozen by the Court of Appeals.

Connection with the Chinese "Boss"

In the same batch of money laundering charges brought against personnel of Bamban POGO, Laranan was listed as an occupant of the POGO compound office along with Can and Huang Zhiyang. Huang Zhiyang is also a founder of Baofu, still serving as an executive of the company even after Guo Huaping's alleged withdrawal (investigators consider this a false withdrawal), and he is considered "the boss of all POGOs."

In early 2023, when Hongsheng was raided, Laranan, Yu Zheng Can, and Huang Zhiyang also faced a separate charge of violating the Securities Law, in which the employees claimed "the company's officials, owners, and operators asked them to adopt deceptive means to deceive unsuspecting victims."

Laranan also appeared in more documents of Hongsheng, including a letter sent to former Pagcor Chairman Andrea Domingo in September 2020, appointing former government official Dennis Kunanan as Hongsheng's regulatory agency authorized representative. Kunanan was also the government liaison for the Lucky South 99 POGO in Bongabon, Nueva Ecija.

Kunanan was also charged in this human trafficking case and ordered arrested.

Most of the arrested Chinese are still at large. "We continue to look for them," Santiago said.

Filipinos vs Filipinos

Guo Huaping's co-founder at Baofu Company, Rachelle Joan Malonzo Carreon, and co-founder of Zunyuan Company (allegedly renamed Zunyuan Company after Hongsheng was searched), Jamielyn Santos Cruz, Pujante, and Alpas have also surrendered to the NBI. They are also charged by Branch 167 of the Pasig Regional Trial Court (RTC).

Cruz claimed to be a host at the state-owned PTV, admitting she indeed invested in Zunyuan POGO after someone proposed the investment. Cruz said she met Guo at a tourism festival in Bamban, but Guo Huaping did not ask her to invest. Cruz told the Department of Justice during the preliminary investigation that she "acknowledges [she is] a founder of Zunyuan Technology, but denies involvement or participation in the company's operations."

At the NBI press conference, Cruz said: "There is no human trafficking here, as all these are just allegations, they must prove it in court. But because this case has become very high-profile, it seems like we are all bad people and criminals. For us Filipinos, I will make sure these allegations are proven wrong."

But Cruz's co-founders Pujante and Alpas, who are also Filipinos, pointed the finger at Cruz and her brother. The two spoke at the press conference but did not reveal their identities. One of them claimed, "Cruz's brother is the wife of Guo Huaping's chief of staff, he was the one who asked them to sign the documents." "We are being used here. We will prove it, we will explain to the court, so we can clear our names, because we are very concerned about our safety. We know the people behind this are not joking."

Cruz responded: "He signed, they were invited to invest. They can read, they can write, they are educated, let me explain to the court."

The male detainees expressed that they would prefer to be under the supervision of the National Bureau of Investigation. Santiago stated that they will coordinate with the Pasig Court to discuss this request.

According to the court's detention order, Ms. Guo has been transferred to the women's dormitory at Pasig City Jail.