BI deports 43 Chinese nationals involved in illegal POGO

Forty-three Chinese citizens who had previously been arrested in Pasay City for involvement in an illicit Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) were deported by the Bureau of Immigration (BI).

After a Makati court acquired a search warrant, the deportees were apprehended in October 2023 at a POGO hub in Pasay. The Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act (Act 9208) and the Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Law (Act 10364) were allegedly broken by the people who were arrested.

With their participation in POGO and other unlawful activities, the Chinese deportees represent the government’s sixth wave of expatriate deportations. Before this, for comparable acts, 180 Chinese, 21 Vietnamese, five Malaysians, and three Vietnamese nationals were deported.

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) emphasized that these foreign nationals were considered a threat to public safety since it was found that they had engaged in human trafficking in violation of the agreement that came with their visas.

The Philippines has placed Chinese deportees on a blacklist and has barred them from returning, according to Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco. He stressed the agency’s commitment to collaborating with other governmental entities in order to expel unwelcome immigrants who are engaged in criminal activities.

From Terminal 1 of Ninoy Aquino International Airport, the Chinese deportees traveled to Shanghai on Philippine Airlines.

The public was urged to report any foreign nationals who could be involved in illicit activities by Tansingco.

Original story by: Philippine Star