Trafficking cases of POGO workers transferred from Tarlac to Pasig

MANILA, Philippines — Human trafficking cases filed against workers of Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) hubs in Tarlac have been transferred to a court in Pasig City, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said.

In a statement on Sunday, September 15, Remulla announced that he secured the Supreme Court's approval to transfer the non-bailable trafficking in persons charges against the POGO workers from the Capas, Tarlac Regional Trial Court (RTC) to a Pasig City court.

"I commend the SC for their unwavering commitment to safeguarding the laws of the land to prevent a miscarriage of justice. The DOJ (Department of Justice) vows to prosecute these cases with burning resolve and integrity," Remulla said.

The POGO workers are from Zun Yuan Technology Inc., one of the raided POGO hubs in Bamban, Tarlac, where several foreign nationals were arrested.

Among those involved in the case is Huang Zhiyang, a foreign national identified by authorities as the "boss of all bosses" of illegal POGOs.

The case against the POGO workers was filed by the Philippine National Police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) and the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission last June, alongside a separate qualified trafficking in persons case against dismissed Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo.

Guo is currently facing charges and is under investigation for her alleged involvement in the unlawful activities of the POGO in Bamban, which include kidnapping, trafficking, and torture committed by its workers against Chinese nationals.

In addition to criminal charges, the dismissed mayor is also facing multiple legal challenges, including tax evasion charges, money laundering and a quo warranto case.