Pasay’s top cop, 27 others axed over POGO hub

MANILA, Philippines — Pasay City police chief Col. Froilan Uy and 27 other police officers under him were relieved from their posts following a raid on a Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) hub that had sex dens and a torture chamber, the Philippine National Police reported yesterday.

The PNP’s Internal Affairs Service (IAS) inspector general Alfegar Triambulo ordered a special investigation task force to conduct a swift and in-depth probe of the allegations of human trafficking and other illegal activities that went undetected by the Pasay police, led by Uy, and officers of the city police substation 1, located near the POGO hub.

“Negligence has no place in effective law enforcement,” Triambulo said in a statement yesterday.

In a press briefing, PNP public information office chief Col Jean Fajardo said Uy and the substation commander were relieved based on the principle of command responsibility while the 26 others “will be checked if there is neglect of duty.”

Fajardo said the PNP has a one-strike policy that means that if an incident occurs within an officer’s knowledge, and they fail to act, they can be charged with neglect of duty.

The decision to relieve the officers, Fajardo said, came in the wake of concerns regarding the long-standing presence of POGOs in Pasay and their alleged illegal activities.

Col. Mario Mayames will take over as officer-in-charge of Pasay’s police force as the pre-charge investigation proceeds.

Fajardo said that legal action has been initiated against the people suspected of running the POGO hub, among them five Chinese and a Filipino. They are being held at the Camp Crame custodial facility.

Triambulo said in a text message the task force is in the fact-finding phase of its probe.

He said the initiative is part of the statutory power of the IAS to gather evidence in support of an open investigation.