Quezon raid yields 42 alleged Pogo workers
Authorities arrested in a raid on Wednesday 42 Chinese nationals suspected of being Philippine offshore gaming operator (Pogo) hub workers at a resort in Barangay Villa Norte in Alabat, Quezon.
Most of them were found to be undocumented aliens or working in the country illegally, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said on Thursday.
Police Col. Chitadel Gaioran, the Police Regional Office 4-A public information chief, said the foreigners were arrested by a joint team from the BI, Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission and Philippine National Police.
The operation was based on a mission order under Executive Order (EO) No. 287, series of 2000, or Mission Orders for Verification and Investigation of Suspected Illegal Aliens.
The Chinese nationals were arrested at about 6:30 a.m. in Alabat town after they arrived at the island on a roll-on, roll-off vessel.
Gaoiran said they were “suspected” of operating a Pogo hub in the area although she did not provide further details.
Some of the Chinese nationals were also caught building structures in the area without any permits, according to the BI.
Suspicious buildings
“The individuals were caught in the area doing construction work; they were putting up some suspicious buildings and based on the information we gathered, they didn’t even have any permits,” Immigration bureau spokesperson Dana Sandoval told reporters.
“So apart from being illegal aliens, the construction itself—according to the reports we received—is also illegal,” she said.
The BI official clarified that the arrested foreigners were not construction workers and appeared to be holding higher positions like supervisors, although it was not immediately clear what kind of building they were working on.
“We’re focused on the actual activities—they’re involved in the construction work, they are present at the site, and they do not have proper documentation,” Sandoval added.
The 42 Chinese nationals have since been taken to Camp Vicente Lim in Calamba City, Laguna, for documentation and biometrics.
Deportation cases
The BI said that deportation cases would be filed against them.
Authorities have been cracking down on former Pogo workers who remain in the country illegally since President Marcos declared a ban on all Pogo operations last year through EO No. 75.
Under the order, all Pogos, including “internet gaming licensees,” should cease operating effective on Dec. 31 last year.
Citing a report from the Anti-Money Laundering Council, the EO said that Pogos had become susceptible to money laundering, fraud and other illicit financial activities, thus posing threats to the integrity of the national financial system.
As of last month, authorities are still looking for an estimated 9,860 workers of shuttered Pogos as they have so far netted only around 1,000 out of the targeted 11,000.
Government operatives raided on March 6 a suspected Pogo hub serving as an alleged scam center at the PBCom Tower on Ayala Avenue in Makati City’s Central Business District but failed to make any arrests.
