PAOCC disowns raid on POGO hub in Manila

MANILA, Philippines — The Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) distanced itself from a raid at a suspected Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) hub in Manila and accused the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) of attempting to associate them with a “flawed” operation.

The PAOCC said it was not part of the operation at the Century Peak Tower at the corner of Adriatico and Sta. Monica streets on Tuesday wherein 85 people, including 69 foreigners, were rounded up.

It said the raid was spearheaded by the NCRPO and the Philippine National Police-Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP-ACG).

“We were never consulted nor informed regarding this operation,” it said in a statement.

Moreover, the PAOCC denied it called the raided POGO as the “mother of all POGOs” as the agency was not involved in the operation.

PAOCC’s spokesman Winston John Casio told reporters in a separate message on Viber that they condemn the NCRPO’s attempts to associate the commission with a “failed” operation.

The reason why Casio called the operation a failure was the foreigners who were caught were released after the police allegedly failed to secure a legal hold on them.

Casio stressed the PAOCC would never allow such a flaw to happen as they coordinate with the Department of Justice’s Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (DOJ-IACAT) and the Bureau of Immigration (BI).

He also challenged NCRPO director Maj. Gen. Sidney Hernia to clear the PAOCC’s name from being associated with the “botched” raid.

He added they were also busy preparing for the “successful” operation on Central One, a suspected POGO hub in Bagac, Bataan which was raided on Thursday, therefore the PAOCC is nowhere near Century Peak Tower.

“On a personal note, I call on Maj. Gen. Hernia to man up and act as a true honorable cavalier,” Casio said.

The NCRPO, however, never mentioned the PAOCC took part in the operation when it issued a press release on the raid on Wednesday.

In response to Casio’s description of their operation, Hernia said the raid was focused strictly on executing cyber warrants to counter cybercriminal activities.

He reiterated only the NCRPO and the PNP-ACG were the units involved in the operation and not the PAOCC.

“This was not a human trafficking operation, therefore, the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking was not involved,” he said in a message on Viber.

Hernia added the discovery of foreigners at the site was incidental to the operation’s primary objective. As such, the BI bears no responsibility for any subsequent release of the foreigners.

The foreigners caught in Manila – 34 Indonesians, 25 Chinese nationals and 10 Malaysians – were released after the BI refused to take legal custody of them, ACG director Maj. Gen. Ronnie Francis Cariaga said.

“The police has arbitrary detention for them if we will have to detain them under our custody,” Cariaga said at a news briefing on Thursday afternoon, as he noted the government offices are closed due to the Undas break.

He added they requested the BI to take legal custody of the foreigners for being undocumented nationals as they were not carrying passports.

“There was already a letter coming from the BI that they cannot take legal custody of these foreign nationals. We cannot do otherwise but to release these personalities,” Cariaga said.

In response, the BI accused the police of “withholding access to the necessary information and reports” as they are yet to receive the official custody of the 69 foreigners.

“The BI has been actively pursuing to process the detainees in compliance with regulations, yet the PNP has been withholding access to the necessary information and reports,” said the BI in a statement yesterday.

The 69 foreigners should undergo an assessment by the DOJ-IACAT, said the BI.

The bureau added that it “awaits the necessary documentation from the PNP to initiate the formal turnover process, as has been previously communicated.”

The said documentation should include “all available information related to the subjects’ identities and the affidavit of arrest, detailing the circumstances of apprehension.”

The BI would start its investigation on the 69 foreigners and file charges for violating Philippine immigration laws once it receives all the necessary documentation from the police.

Close all POGOs

Following the raid of the scam hub, the Manila city government urged executives of other scam hubs operating in the city to start closing their operations “this week.”

“The POGOs need not wait to shut down in December. They can start shutting down now and in the coming weeks. They need not prolong their agony. They can end their operations this week because they can,” said Manila Mayor Honey Lacuna-Pangan in a statement on Friday.

She referred to the POGOs that have been notorious for carrying out online scams and even crimes against their employees.

She advised all POGO executives to voluntarily go to the city hall to start working on their documents to wind down their operations and tell the owners of the buildings and houses they occupy that they are ending their rent or lease agreements.

They could also “start serving notices to their employees that their employment contracts will end very soon,” she added.

She also vowed the city government would help Filipino workers in POGOs find other jobs.

Lacuna-Pangan commended the PNP-ACG, PAOCC and the Manila Police District for successfully carrying out the raid.

She also echoed her support for the ban on POGOs by the end of the year as declared by President Marcos in his State of the Nation Address this year.

Meanwhile, the Authority of the Freeport Area of Bataan (AFAB) has confirmed that Central One Bataan PH Inc. is an enterprise registered with the Freeport Area of Bataan (FAB). They are currently operating in a FAB expansion area located in Bagac. In a statement, AFAB said inspections are regularly conducted on locators and registered enterprises to ensure they are compliant with the terms and conditions of the authority granted to them.

“We are aware of coverage on news media outlets that Central One has recently been the subject of a court-issued search warrant carried out by the PAOCC. AFAB has not yet received official copies of the abovementioned warrant, or any documents relating to the said incident,” the authority said.

AFAB said another official statement will be issued after it has seen copies of the above-mentioned documents or upon proper communication with appropriate government authorities has been made.

“We remain dedicated to upholding the integrity of our regulatory framework and will ensure that all necessary actions align with the investigation’s findings and legal standards,” AFAB said. — Ghio Ong