China embassy, PAOCC to cooperate in POGO crackdown

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines and China have committed to strengthen the fight against transnational crimes as the Marcos administration sustains its campaign to dismantle illegal offshore gambling hubs in the country.

The commitment was made at a meeting between Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin and Chinese Ambassador Huang Xilian on Monday at Malacañang.

In a statement released on Tuesday, the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC), chaired by Bersamin, said China expressed its appreciation for the recent actions taken by Philippine law enforcement authorities to counter illegal offshore gambling and to rescue several Chinese nationals.

PAOCC chief Gilbert Cruz told “Storycon” on One News yesterday that the two countries agreed to help each other and strengthen “intelligence sharing and joint operations” involving Philippine offshore gaming operators or POGOs.

“The main objective is to dismantle the criminal syndicates hiding behind POGOs. The Philippines will support all these actions,” said Cruz, who was at the Palace meeting.

He said Huang vowed that China will be “pro-active” in helping the Philippines in its fight against illegal POGO operations.

The Chinese embassy, the PAOCC said, has been actively collaborating and maintaining open communication channels with their Philippine counterparts in the operations against illegal POGOs.

“This mutual support demonstrates the commitment and determination of both countries to curb transnational organized crime effectively,” it said.

“The strengthened cooperation between the two countries sends a clear message to criminal syndicates operating across borders that their malicious activities will not be tolerated nor allowed to undermine the security and stability of these nations,” the PAOCC said.

Through their cooperation, the two countries also pave the way for the exchange of expertise, intelligence sharing and collaborations, enabling the authorities on both sides to effectively disrupt and dismantle criminal networks, the agency said.

“This renewed commitment signifies the proactive steps taken by both countries to protect their people and maintain law and order. With a confident and determined approach, both countries are well-positioned to overcome any challenges and ensure that justice prevails over criminal activities,” it said.

The Chinese embassy in Manila earlier urged the Philippine government to ban POGOs.

“Ample evidence shows that POGO breeds serious crimes such as kidnapping for ransom, human trafficking and murder. POGO is detrimental to both Philippine and Chinese interests and images, as well as China-Philippines relations,” the embassy said last month.

Partnership

On Storycon, Cruz said, “China Ambassador Huang formalized the partnership between the Philippines and China against transnational crimes in the Philippines. China appreciated the recent action of Philippine authorities to fight POGO. He thanked the PAOCC for fighting POGOs’ spread in the country.”

“The result of the meeting yielded a very positive result. The result of the meeting was good. We had a talk with the Chinese embassy with executive secretary Bersamin and the Philippine government and China agreed to unite its efforts to enhance the law enforcement to combat transnational and organized crimes,” Cruz said.

He said Huang expressed strong concern over the serious crimes being committed by illegal POGO hub operators in the country against foreign nationals such as Chinese, Taiwanese, Singaporeans and others during his meeting with the PAOCC.

Although there was no direct reiteration of request for the banning of POGO operations in the country from Huang, Cruz said that Bersamin knows that China is asking the Philippine government to ban the operation of POGOs in the country.

POGO hubs are an “untouchable place” for torture, torture-for-ransom, human trafficking, kidnapping, scamming activities and other forms of criminalities of Chinese nationals, Cruz said.

“What they are doing is this. If you have debts to the illegal POGO and you are fed and you are no longer paying, you will be tortured on video. The video footages will be sent to your relatives, families, so that they can collect payment from them,” Cruz said.

Cruz added that POGO workers are also tortured if they failed to reach their “quotas” of earnings for the day.

2 Chinese face raps

Charges have been filed against two Chinese nationals in connection with the raided POGO hub in Porac, Pampanga.

According to Darwin Cañete, a prosecutor of the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking, the PAOCC filed on July 2 charges of violation of the Anti-Human Trafficking Act, robbery with violence against or intimidation of persons, serious physical injuries and kidnapping and serious illegal detention against the respondents.

Named respondents were Qi Ren Gou, 37, and Jiang Shi Guang, 41, who are currently detained at the PAOCC temporary detention facility in Pasay City.

The complaints were filed with the Department of Justice.

“They put workers here from abroad to work in these POGO hubs by force and intimidation through whatever leverage or form of pressure, forcing them to do that,” Cañete told reporters.

He, however, did not disclose the names of the complainants, but said they were Chinese nationals.

“We are mindful of the fact that the accused or the persons associated with them may seek to either reach out to them through death threats or to relatives in China since the complainants are Chinese nationals,” he said.

According to Cañete, one of the victims was restrained in a bed and was detained for several days. He was also “subjected to inhumane treatment.”

The 10-hectare Lucky South 99 Corp. compound was earlier raided and authorities found illegal drugs and various instruments of torture, including baseball bats and metal sticks.

Four foreigners – three men and a woman – who were among the 160 foreigners rounded up in the POGO hub said they were victims of torture.

Explain SIM cards

The Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) said it was prodding Smart Communications to explain the presence of Smart SIM (subscriber identity module) cards – apparently used in illegal activities despite being unregistered – in a raid on the Porac POGO hub last month.

CICC executive director Alexander Ramos said the wireless telco service provider has been told to submit an official report on the status of its compliance to Republic Act No. 11934 or the SIM Card Registration Law.

Ramos said the CICC was seriously looking into the proliferation of unregistered SIM cards that are being used in text scams and in various forms of cybercrimes.

“We have been receiving a litany of complaints from the public that they continue to receive unwanted text messages either offering them loans, online gambling, cryptocurrency investments and job offers from unknown persons identified with Smart issued numbers,” Ramos underscored. “It’s time for the government to get tough on these telcos.”

Law enforcement authorities who clamped down on organized crime, including POGOs, recently seized thousands of SIM cards with various faked identities and unregistered SIM cards used for fraud.

For its part, PLDT and its wireless unit Smart Communications said it was intensifying the fight against scammers, clamping down on those that use fraudulently registered SIMs to commit crimes.

From January to May of this year, Smart has blacklisted more than 615,788 mobile numbers tied to illicit and fraudulent activities, including spamming and smishing scams. This number includes all fraudulently registered SIMs, purged through Smart’s strict validation process of all SIM registrations.

Guo urged: Cooperate

Suspended Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo, or Guo Hua Ping, should cooperate with authorities and reveal crucial information about the activities and key players of POGOs, Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian said.

“Guo can play a crucial role in exposing the truth and ensuring that those involved are held accountable,” said Gatchalian.

“I urge Alice Guo to come forward and cooperate with authorities and expose the main players of illegal and criminal offshore gaming operations,” Gatchalian added.

“To reduce her culpability, she can reveal everything she knows about the operations of both the Bamban POGO and the Porac POGO, as the two are interconnected.”

Guo, along with others, has been charged with non-bailable qualified human trafficking by the PAOCC.

The Office of the Solicitor General is looking at filing a quo warranto case while the Commission on Elections is mulling an election offense case.

At the House of Representatives, Cagayan de Oro 2nd District Rep. Rufus Rodriguez vowed to thoroughly probe alleged anomalies within POGOs, where former and current government officials may have been involved.

“The government does not need this form of gambling as a revenue source. They breed criminal activities like human trafficking, kidnapping, protection and extortion. The social cost outweighs the financial benefit,” Rodriguez emphasized.

Rodriguez also called on the House committees on games and amusements and good government and public accountability to conduct a joint inquiry and look into the alleged lobbying and protection for POGOs by officials, appointed and elected.

He was reacting to the revelation of PAGCOR chairman and CEO Alejandro Tengco that a former Cabinet member had lobbied for the grant of franchises to illegal POGOs that authorities recently raided in Bamban, Tarlac and in Porac, Pampanga.

“We are also ready to reveal the roles of other controversial individuals behind these criminal POGO enterprises,” Tengco said. He also referred to the role of former officials and conduits in granting licenses to POGO applicants with doubtful backgrounds.

Rodriguez said his proposed House inquiry would provide Tengco the proper forum to make his revelations and support them with evidence.

PAGCOR should provide proof

“It is not enough that PAGCOR officials name names. They should provide proof leading to criminal prosecution,” Rodriguez said. “If they caved in to pressure, they are equally guilty and accountable.”

Should POGOs be totally banned, Chinese businessmen could be invited to invest in other legitimate businesses in the country instead, Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers said yesterday.

“They can also invest in infrastructure. We have the PPP (Private Public Partnership). In fact, they were invited in the Manila Bay reclamation (project),” Barbers said.

“My point is we should not legalize something that is illegal in their country. It’s like we are giving them a haven for their illegal activities.”

Barbers said Chinese businessmen should, instead, be encouraged to invest in other businesses that provides jobs and revenues without compromising the Filipinos’ welfare.

If the Chinese investors really want the Philippines, he underscored, they could venture into legitimate investments “with the help of a local partner.” — Jose Rodel Clapano, Alexis Romero, Pia Lee-Brago, Sheila Crisostomo, Daphne Galvez, Rainier Allan Ronda, Cecille Suerte Felipe, Delon Porcalla