MANILA, Philippines- Nilinaw ng Department of National Defense ang pahayag ng pinuno nitong si Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr., sa Philippine Offshore Gaming Operation (POGO) sites.
Inihayag ni Teodoro sa pahayag ng DND noong Miyerkules na: “The concern is that we should stop these syndicated criminal activities operating out of our base, which weaken our financial standing, our country ratings, and corrupt our society.”
Giit ni DND spokesperson Arsenio Andolong, tinutukoy ni Teodoro ang kabuuan ng bansa at hindi lamang military bases, base sa ulat ng ilang news outlets.
“The ‘base’ that he was referring to is our financial, economic base, and basically, our country. He was not referring to a military camp or as seen in some stories na lumabas, EDCA sites, which is very far from what he meant,” ani Andolong sa phone interview noong Huwebes.
“He did not say anything as alleged in some news reports that POGO facilities near military camps should be shut down. He was purely referring to the effect on our country ratings, economy and our society, as a whole,” dagdag niya.
Ayon pa sa opisyal, tinukoy lamang ng defense chief ang POGOs bilang “national security concern” at hindi sinabing itinuturing na itong “national security threat”, base pa rin sa ulat ng ilang news outlets.
“Concern is very different from a threat. A concern merely means that a matter deserves more scrutiny and investigation. When you classify an entity, an actor or a phenomenon as a threat, that means that that particular entity, actor or phenomenon underwent a process of vetting or investigation and fact-finding before it is classified as a threat,” paliwanag ng DND spokesperson.
Patuloy niya, “We also have to put on record that there are legitimate POGOs and there are criminal syndicates posing as POGOs.” RNT/SA
