In the second major raid since the POGO ban, 29 foreign nationals were apprehended at an illegal POGO in a Cavite resort.
Twenty-nine foreign nationals were arrested in a raid on a clandestine Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) facility disguised within a private resort in Silang, Cavite, the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) announced on Wednesday. This was done less than a week since 400 foreign nationals were arrested in an alleged POGO in Paranaque - just around 50 kilometers away from Cavite province. Acting on a tip relayed through the CIDG Calabarzon, authorities apprehended six Myanmar citizens and twenty-three Chinese nationals suspected of engaging in illegal online gambling activities. PAOCC executive director Gilbert Cruz explained the operation in an interview with Teleradyo Serbisyo done the morning of January 16, stating that authorities received information about suspected former POGO workers seeking a new location to conduct scamming activities. "A report came to us, relayed through CIDG Calabarzon, about suspicions regarding a resort in Silang. They suspected that former POGO workers were looking for a place to relocate and operate scamming activities," he said. "CIDG immediately responded and reported it. Yesterday, together with the Bureau of Immigration, we found 29 foreign nationals, mostly Chinese and from Myanmar, and they indeed had a small-scale POGO operation." He added, "They said it was very recent, maybe less than two months old."
This raid follows a similar operation conducted just days prior by the Bureau of Immigration (BI) in Parañaque City, which resulted in the arrest of around 400 foreigners involved in similar POGO-related activities. The mission order authorizing the raid originated from the BI, and the operation itself was executed by a joint task force comprised of PAOCC, the Calabarzon field unit of the CIDG, the BI Fugitive Search Unit, and the Cavite Provincial Police Office. Cruz highlighted the cooperation of the resort owner, stating.
"The resort owner was very cooperative. They were actually the ones helping us. That’s the good thing here. The DILG’s coordination resulted in us working together to stop this operation." He confirmed this was the "first guerilla operation" they had encountered. Following President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s recent ban on all POGOs, announced during his third State of the Nation Address (SONA) last July, authorities are cracking down on these illegal operations. The government-imposed deadline for POGOs to cease operations was December 31st, 2024. PAOCC has recently identified a trend of POGOs attempting to evade the ban by operating in a concealed manner. Cruz noted that the arrested individuals are currently in temporary detention in Pasay, awaiting documentation for eventual deportation. He also addressed the visa status of the foreigners, saying,
"They should only have tourist visas now, which allow them to stay here for 30-60 days, but most of them are already expired, so most of them shouldn’t be here. We are checking if they downgraded their visas or if they have expired." Cruz emphasized the collaborative nature of the operation, stating, "The operation involved the LGU, even the local police were there, so it was a whole-of-nation approach involving government agencies." He also addressed the potential involvement of local officials, stating, "Actually, they are included in creating jobs, so I think it’s clear that the LGU officials really didn’t know what was happening because it was less than two months old. The place was really hidden; you really had to go there; you wouldn’t see it if you were on the road." He confirmed that the resort has been "closed for the meantime while the operation is ongoing." Finally, Cruz revealed ongoing investigations into reports of larger POGO hubs relocating to Visayas and Mindanao. "We are looking into reports we are receiving that large POGO hubs have fled to Visayas and Mindanao," he said.
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