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CEBU CITY, Philippines — Amid accusations linking him to the Philippine Offshore Gambling Operations (Pogo) industry, the former Presidential Assistant to the Visayas, Michael Lloyd Dino, found an ally in the form of media personality Ramon Tulfo.
Tulfo took to social media to defend Dino, who was recently tagged to the proliferation of illegal Pogos in the country.
In his post on Facebook, Tulfo believed that the former secretary had no direct involvement in the establishment of Pogos here.
“Just because Dino was identified with President Digong who allowed POGOs to thrive in his term doesn’t mean the businessman is into offshore gaming,” he wrote.
Additionally, Tulfo claimed that if the former chief of the Office of the Presidential Assistant of the Visayas (OPAV) indeed participated in the Pogo industry, it might jeopardize his family’s business in Hong Kong.
According to him, Dino’s uncle happened to be a real estate tycoon based in Hong Kong.
“The uncle would be in big trouble if Dino was involved in POGO since the Chinese government outlaws POGO in its territory,” he explained.
It can be recalled that Dino’s name surfaced in the ongoing House probe on extra-judicial killings (EJKs) and Pogos after his political nemesis, former Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña, linked him to the Pogo industry.
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Dino’s camp had not issued any comments in response to the accusations.
On the other hand, Tulfo credited the former OPAV secretary for the establishment of Malasakit Centers nationwide.
“Dino’s compassion for the poor made him come up with a one-stop shop that helps destitute patients pay their hospital bills in public hospitals,” he added.
Who is Michael Dino?
From 2016 to 2022, Dino served as the head of the OPAV after he was appointed by Former President Rodrigo Duterte.
Prior to his designation, the last time the Malacañang had a sitting Presidential Assistant for the Visayas was in 2009.
Before his stint in the public sector, Dino is a known businessman in Cebu, involved in the hospitality and real estate sectors.
In 2014, he co-founded the Bisaya na Pud movement, one of the groups that pushed Duterte into presidency and ultimately helped him get elected to the Malacañang. Cebu, the country’s most vote rich province, delivered over 1 million votes for Duterte in the 2016 Presidential Elections.
Many believed that the animosity between Dino and Osmeña began when the latter blocked the former’s multi-million Ciudad project in Brgy. Apas in Cebu City, with the latter saying that it might only worsen the already bad traffic situation in that area.
When Dino sat as OPAV head, he was accused of further stalling Osmeña’s bus rapid transit (BRT) project and lobbied for other mass transportation options instead.