FORCED LABOR VICTIMS Some of the 868 Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (Pogo) workers gather in a holding area after they were rescued by authorities on Wednesday in Bamban, Tarlac. The workers include 497 foreigners who are set to be sent back to their respective countries. — PRESIDENTIAL ANTI-ORGANIZED CRIME COMMISSION
The Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) on Wednesday filed an illegal detention complaint against eight Chinese nationals in connection with a raid on a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (Pogo) hub in Bamban, Tarlac.
PNP-CIDG chief Police Brigadier Gen. Nicolas Torre III submitted a complaint affidavit to the Department of Justice (DOJ), alleging that the eight individuals unlawfully detained two Chinese nationals by forcing them to “work against their will.”
“They wanted to go home, they wanted it over but they weren’t allowed to leave,” Torre told reporters.
He noted these eight respondents had previously been named in an earlier complaint filed with the DOJ and are already in police custody.
The complaint followed the March 13 raid in Bamban, Tarlac, targeting Zun Yuan Technology, where authorities rescued more than 800 workers that include Filipinos and foreigners.
Dismissed Bamban Mayor Alice Guo is facing a qualified human trafficking case before a Pasig court and a graft case in a Valenzuela court, stemming from the Pogo raid.