MANILA, Philippines — Seventeen Chinese citizens said to be working for illegal Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) companies were deported yesterday by the Bureau of Immigration.
BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco said the third batch of deportees was part of the 372 foreigners arrested by authorities in separate operations for alleged involvement in illegal online gambling.
The Chinese boarded a Philippine Airlines flight bound for Wuhan, China at around 3 p.m.
Tansingco said the BI deported six Chinese nationals last October and 21 others on Nov. 2, bringing the total number of deportees to 44.
He said another 328 Chinese citizens would be deported in the coming days.
“Those deported are automatically included in the BI’s blacklist, effectively barring them from returning to the Philippines,” Tansingco said.
BI spokesperson Dana Sandoval said there is no schedule yet for the next batch of deportees.
She said the bureau would speed up the deportation of foreigners involved in illegal POGO operations to decongest the BI detention facility.– Rudy Santos