The House of Representatives of the Philippines' Quadripartite Committee convened its final hearing on June 9, officially announcing the completion of five key legislative bills. These bills focus on areas of high social concern, including extrajudicial killings, offshore gambling (POGO), land fraud, identity forgery, and espionage, marking the formal conclusion of 15 rounds of in-depth investigations.
The five bills are:
Bill No. 10986 "Anti-Extrajudicial Killing Act"
Bill No. 10987 "Anti-Offshore Gambling Operations Act"
Bill No. 11043 "Civil Asset Forfeiture Act"
Bill No. 11117 "Cancellation of Forged Birth Certificates Act"
Bill No. 10998 "2024 Espionage Prevention Act"
The scheduled co-chair, Chairman of the Human Rights Committee Bienvenido Abante Jr., was absent due to unforeseen circumstances and was represented by Zia Alonto Adiong, a representative from Lanao del Sur. Abante noted that these legislative proposals stemmed from extensive investigations into illegal POGO crimes and human rights abuses. "We heard many appalling testimonies—lives were disregarded, and police badges became tools of intimidation," emphasized Abante. "These five bills are our practical response to the calls for justice."
Representative and Committee Chairman Robert Ace Barbers stated that the evidence obtained during the hearings revealed that multiple foreign criminal groups exploited the POGO platform to engage in bribery, money laundering, fraud, and even espionage with local collusion, fully exposing legal loopholes. "Our investigations have revealed real security vulnerabilities, and now we must legislate to close these gaps," he said.
These bills will now be submitted to the full House of Representatives for deliberation, aiming to be included as priority items in this session of Congress. Analysts believe that once passed, these five laws will become significant tools for the Philippines in combating financial and national security crimes, as well as strengthening human rights protection mechanisms.
Meanwhile, the Philippine Senate has completed the third reading of several priority bills before the adjournment of the 19th Congress, covering disaster response, gambling regulation, energy, education, and civil service reform. Among these, the most notable is Bill No. 2868, the "2025 Anti-Offshore Gambling Act."
This bill officially ends the legalization policy of POGO, repealing the original "Republic Act No. 11590," and prohibits all forms of offshore gambling within the country.
The main proponent of the bill, Chairman of the Senate Fundraising Committee Sherwin "Win" Gatchalian, pointed out that the bill is a legislative response to the escalating crimes derived from gambling. "This is a legislative achievement in response to public opinion, and we can no longer tolerate an industry that causes harm to the nation," he added, noting that the government will gain the power to confiscate POGO facilities and equipment to prevent them from going underground.
