162 foreigners rescued from POGO hub in Cebu

MANILA, Philippines — At least 162 foreigners were rescued from an alleged illegal Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) hub at a resort hotel in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu during a raid by authorities last Saturday.

The foreigners – 83 Chinese, 70 Indonesians, six Myanmar nationals, a Malaysian and two Taiwanese – who reportedly engaged in scamming activities, as well as five Filipino administrators or managers, were found at the POGO inside the Tourist Garden Hotel located in the city’s Barangay Agus.

The raid was conducted by personnel of the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) and National Bureau of Investigation-Region 7 (NBI-7), together with the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking-Region 7 (IACAT-7), Bureau of Immigration (BI), Armed Forces of the Philippines, Department of Social Welfare and Development and Lapu-Lapu City Police Office.

At a press conference, PAOCC spokesperson Winston Romeo Casio confirmed that the raided facility was operating as a POGO hub.

“This is a 100-percent illegal POGO,” Casio said.

?He disclosed that most of the foreign nationals, along with the five managers, had previously fled from Pampanga after their hub there was raided.

He noted that the raid in Lapu-Lapu was initiated following a request from the Indonesian embassy, after three Indonesian nationals, who had stayed in the resort, managed to escape, after which the three sought assistance from the embassy, which then informed the Department of Justice - Region 7, IACAT-7, NBI-7 and the DOJ in Manila.

Casio revealed that they initially intended to conduct a rescue operation, but upon arriving at the resort, the foreign nationals were “caught in the act.”

“We were just to rescue the Indonesian nationals so when we arrived here, in flagrante delicto we saw that there were scam farms run by Chinese, Indonesians, and from Myanmar,” he said.

During the raid, authorities discovered the foreign nationals involved in illegal online gaming operations in makeshift workstations inside the resort.

?As they further explored the premises, they also found a restaurant, grocery store, an in-house dormitory, and even a health facility designed to keep the workers from having to go outside.

?“This is a 100-percent illegal POGO. All that we have seen here are enough evidence to be able to file cybercrime offense for facilitating cybercrime-related gambling, child trafficking,” Casio said.

?Regarding the liability of the resort owner, Casio mentioned that further investigation is underway.

It has been recently discovered that the resort, originally a public resort, had been converted into a semi-private establishment, with only foreign nationals permitted to stay.

Tourist Garden Hotel’s Facebook page posted hiring of Indonesian chefs, as well as kitchen assistants, waiters and company drivers from June to July this year. Before that, the last post of the page was still from 2022.

In a press release, BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco expressed belief that resort owners should also be held accountable and face charges if they harbor illegal aliens on their premises.

?“We will suggest to the authorities to file cases against resort owners to allow their properties to be used by illegal aliens in their covert operations,” Tansingco said in a statement.

?The foreign nationals will undergo inquest proceedings and will be temporarily detained before deportation.

The BI will also consider filing charges against the resort owners for reportedly harboring illegal aliens in the area.

“This will serve as a warning to those who might attempt to start illegal online gambling operations, which has already been banned by the President,” Tansingco added.

The BI said that when Tansingco issued a mission order, it was against 13 illegal aliens who were reportedly monitored to be overstaying and working without permit at a resort located in the barangay.

During the raid last Saturday, however, authorities discovered more than a hundred foreign nationals allegedly engaging in illegal online gaming operations on makeshift workstations inside the resort’s premises.

All foreign nationals rescued from the operation will be transported to Manila, where they will face inquest proceedings for violations of immigration laws, according to the PAOCC.

NBI-7 director Renan Augustus Oliva said that their initial goal is to create an inventory of the foreign nationals and proceed with filing cases.

“As we gather more evidence, of testimonies from the rescued victims we can make follow-up investigations and operations,” Oliva added.

In an interview with The Freeman, LLCPO spokesman Lt. Col. Christian Torres said that their intelligence indicated the existence of suspected hubs operating in the area.

“Allegedly, our intel operatives here in Lapu-Lapu have in their report that the raided facility is suspected... It just so happened that it was preceded by the NBI and IACAT,” Torres said.

Last month, Lapu-Lapu Mayor Ahong Chan said there were no POGOs in the city.

Torres noted that the operation is technically complex, given its involvement in cybercrime. He explained that the NBI and IACAT have the capabilities to detect and track such operations.

?The raid was the first of its kind in Cebu province, and investigations will continue to identify other potential illegal POGO hubs in the island. — The Freeman