Defense authorities concerned about POGO proximity to military installations

MANILA, Philippines — Security officials expressed their concern over the presence of Chinese-dominated online gaming operations close to key military installations.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana yesterday said the presence of numerous Chinese working near military installations could be an intelligence gathering activity.

Lorenzana said this is the reason why he supported the idea of putting a single hub for Philippine online gaming operations (POGO) away from military camps.

“It’s very concerning... when I saw the map I can only sigh, it’s very close. For example Camp Aguinaldo, there is the Araneta Center,” Lorenzana said in referring to the distance of the Armed Forces of the Philippines headquarters to the commercial shopping complex in Quezon City.  

He also pointed out the POGO in Araneta Center and in Eastwood and Ortigas Center is also near the Philippine National Police (PNP) headquarters at Camp Crame, also in Quezon City.

Lorenzana said that verification is being conducted if these POGOs present risks to national security.

“So, I support the idea to put them in a hub far from our military camps. They should be there so that they will be under the control of authorities as well as by the Finance (department) and Immigration (bureau),” Lorenzana said.

What is clear is that the country is making a lot of money out of the POGO investments.

As to the question why a lot of Chinese nationals are already in the country working, this is because the government has encouraged them to come here to invest, he said.

Lorenzana raised concerns that some of the Chinese investors and workers could be spies.

This observation is understandable, according to Lorenzana, because an attitude of distrust towards the Chinese working in the country is borne out of what is happening in the South China Sea.

“This is why we Filipinos are somewhat adamant to be fully confident on these Chinese nationals working in the country,” he said.

Asked if he is in favor of having these Chinese-dominated online gaming operations close to military camps, Lorenzana said he is not.

He explained that the POGOs in Araneta Center, Eastwood and Resorts World near Villamor Air Base, as well as one being built at Island Cove in Cavite near Sangley Point pose some threats to national security.

“It’s always good to think ahead so that we won’t be sorry later. We are going to park our capital ships there (Sangley) in the near future,” he said.

The AFP, for its part, said it is aware of the problem of security.

“We are looking at everything without being paranoid. Of course we can always have the “hi-lo” of possibilities… most probable, of course most dangerous. And all of these are being reported,” AFP chief Gen. Benjamin Madrigal said.

A party-list lawmaker, however, opposed the proposal to isolate POGOs to address growing concerns on their Chinese workers.

Rep. Raymond Mendoza of Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) believes such response to labor and security concerns on presence of Chinese-dominated POGO centers near military facilities could be considered as xenophobia or racism.

“We fear that there is racism behind this ghettoization of Chinese workers. The segregation and isolation of different races is unacceptable in a modern society,” Mendoza said in a statement.

“Migrant workers here in the country become more susceptible to exploitation when they are kept in seclusion,” he said.

The Chinese embassy in Manila already objected to the proposal, saying it would violate the rights of their workers in POGO industry.

Mendoza, however, agreed to the need for better regulation on the POGOs – especially the labor aspect – following the case of Yang Kang, a Chinese national who died while being held in captivity last Aug. 11.

Mendoza called on the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to submit all POGOs to labor inspection. – With Edu Punay, Sheila Crisostomo