PAOCC: Some Pogo bosses still in PH despite ban
MABALACAT CITY—Several bosses of banned Philippine offshore gaming operators (Pogos) are still in the Philippines, looking for opportunities to resume their scamming activities, authorities said on Monday.
As proof, the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) cited the arrest of 559 foreigners working at scam hubs in Parañaque and Pasay cities since the beginning of this year.
“These major raids indicate that a good number of Pogo bosses remain in the country in defiance of the ban imposed by President Marcos. Although most of the remaining scam hubs have hidden in smaller residential and commercial locations, these latest raids show that there are still remnants operating as large-scale hubs in major urban centers,” the PAOCC said in a statement.
It added that the foreign nationals were arrested at three major scam hubs located in the ATI Building in Parañaque City and in One Wheels Condominium and the basement of the Heritage Hotel in Pasay City.
“Likewise, five foreign fugitives from China were arrested during the Parañaque raid on Feb. 17. As of today, the commission is still awaiting updates from its foreign counterparts to determine if there were fugitives among those apprehended in the Pasay raids,” it said.
The PAOCC said that all 559 foreigners would undergo an immigration inquest to facilitate their deportation and blacklisting, which would bar them from returning to the country.
“However, some have already been criminally charged for violating special penal laws, including trafficking in persons, cybercrime and kidnapping, among others,” it added.
The statement said that Undersecretary Gilberto Cruz, PAOCC executive director, was confident that with the assistance of other national government agencies and local government executives, the Marcos administration would be able to completely eradicate the problem by the end of the year.
He also noted that the country’s recent exit from the Financial Action Task Force gray list was a testament to the government’s success in combating dirty money from illegal offshore gaming operations.
At the same time, the PAOCC reported that it rescued 30 Indonesians who were former Pogo workers on Feb. 13 while their three bosses were also arrested in Pasay City.
“These Indonesians are now subject to repatriation to their home country. On the same night, the PAOCC also dismantled a Chinese-run kidnapping group targeting Chinese Pogo workers. Two Chinese perpetrators were arrested, and one Chinese victim bearing marks of torture was rescued,” it said.
