By Eva C. Visperas

 

POGI su wala. Atan su tuwa. (There is Pogi. That’s the truth).

In a lighthearted take on the controversial Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) issue involving the ‘Alisel’ tandem et al, Dr. Roland Mejia, in a recent talk with few newsmen that included this corner, somehow put humor to this topic that’s been closely followed by millions of Filipinos in the ongoing Senate hearings. That opening line above is a direct quote from him.

Dr. Mejia was asked about POGO due to a Facebook post linking him and his son, Mangaldan Vice Mayor Mark Stephen Mejia, to the POGO network. He categorically denied any knowledge of POGO.

The post’s unclear implications about POGO raised suspicions about potential attempts to tarnish his son’s reputation ahead of the May 2025 elections. Dr. Mejia indicated this is not the first time the Mejias have been embroiled in controversy, revealing that detractors create fake Facebook accounts to discredit them. He has reported these incidents to the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group’s anti-cybercrime unit.

How about his alleged link to Sual Mayor Dong Calugay, who was mentioned in that FB post? He said he knows all the mayors in Pangasinan having sought medical attention for themselves or for their constituents. He said there are also some towns in Pangasinan that have entered into a memorandum of agreement with the Region 1 Medical Center where he is the chief.

He said Mayor Dong went to R1MC maybe only twice. First, when he had a sprain and second, when the mayor dropped by during an event at R1MC. But, he was not the one who took care of Mayor Dong’s health concern as he is not an orthopedic, just an endorsement was needed. He again laughed.

It was unclear in the FB post what his supposed link to POGO is. Could it be part of a grand ploy to destroy his son’s image who is bent on running for mayor of Mangaldan in the May 2025 elections?

“And this, it’s all because of politics,” Dok Roland intimated during our talk.

Asked if he was surprised that his name was suddenly being dragged to this controversy, he said, yes he was, but not a bit worried as he is not hiding anything about it.

“Yung sinasabi nila napakalayo naman dun sa katotohanan,” he said, adding that he is relaxed and does not fear anything.

Asked another media colleague: Are you a consultant of Mayor Dong?

He said there isn’t any paper showing that he is a consultant of the mayor, adding that “but other mayors here, we had a memorandum of agreement with Calasiao, Binmaley during the time of Mayor Rosario, in Binalonan, too, and other towns in Pangasinan”.

Also, he explained that Sual doesn’t have a health facility yet (just a rural health unit).

He added that networking with local governments is part of the function of the R1MC-DOH tertiary hospital “because it’s part of our performance to network with LGUs”.

Cyber libel is a possibility, he said, once the monitoring with the anti-cybercrime unit turns positive and his lawyers act on it.

Dok Roland doesn’t have his own FB account, obviously to avoid stress, but people who are concerned about what they read against Dok Roland and his son who tell him about these.

Will he be willing and ready to be investigated, too, say by the CIDG, to clear his name about this POGO thing? He said, without batting an eyelash, “Oo ah, kailangan. Kailangan mag-investigate sila eh kasi kung ganyan na may itinatago tayo, siguro inuna na tayong tinawag sa Senado  o sa Kongreso.”

A broadcaster asked the doctor if he believes in the old Filipino saying: “Ang binabato ay yung punong hitik sa bunga” — which roughly means the tree that gets hit is the one heavy with fruits.

This made the doctor smile once more.

Share your Comments or Reactions

comments

Powered by Facebook Comments