POGO hub raided

CEBU, Philippines — An alleged illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) hub was raided by authorities yesterday, Aug. 31, 2024 in a hotel in Barangay Agus, Lapu-Lapu City.

More than 100 foreign nationals, including Chinese, Indonesians, and Burmese from Myanmar, as well as five Filipino administrators or managers, were found inside the facility.

The raid was conducted by personnel of the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) and National Bureau of Investigation (NBI)-7, together with the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT), Bureau of Immigration, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), and Lapu-Lapu City Police Office (LLCPO).

In a press conference, PAOCC spokesperson Winston Romeo Casio confirmed that the raided facility inside Tourist Garden Hotel was operating as a POGO hub.

“This is a 100-percent illegal POGO,” Casio said.

Casio disclosed that most of the foreign nationals, along with the five managers, had previously fled from Pampanga after their hub there was raided.

He said the raid in Lapu-Lapu City yesterday was initiated following a request from the Indonesian Embassy, after three Indonesian nationals, who had stayed in the resort, managed to escape.

After which, the three sought assistance from the embassy, which then informed the DOJ-7, IACAT-7, NBI-7, and DOJ in Manila.

Casio revealed that they initially intended to conduct a rescue operation, but upon arriving at the resort, the foreign nationals were "caught in the act."

“We were just to rescue the indonesian nationals kaya lang pagdating namin dito, in flagrante delicto (caught in the act), nakita namin mayroon mga scam farm run by Chinese, Indonesians, and from Myanmar,” said Casio.

During the raid, authorities discovered the foreign nationals involved in illegal online gaming operations in makeshift workstations inside the resort.

As they further explored the premises, they also found a restaurant, grocery store, an in-house dormitory, and even a health facility designed to keep the workers from having to go outside.

“This is a 100 percent illegal POGO. Lahat ng nakita namin dito ay enough evidence to be able to file cybercrime offense for facilitating cybercrime related gambling, child trafficking,” Casio added.

Regarding the liability of the resort owner, Casio mentioned that further investigation is underway.

They have recently discovered that the resort, originally a public resort, had been converted into a semi-private establishment, with only foreign nationals permitted to stay.

In the Facebook page of Tourist Garden Hotel, it posted hiring of Indonesian chefs, as well as kitchen assistants, waiters, and company drivers from June-July this year. Prior that, posting of the page was still from 2022.

According to a press release from the Bureau of Immigration, Commissioner Norman Tansingco believes that resort owners should also be held accountable and face charges if they harbor illegal aliens on their premises.

“We will suggest to the authorities to file cases against resort owners to allow their properties to be used by illegal aliens in their covert operations,” Tansingco said in a statement.

The foreign nationals will undergo inquest proceedings and will be temporarily be detained before deportation.

NBI-7 Director Atty. Renan Augustus Oliva stated that their initial goal is to create an inventory of the foreign nationals and proceed with filing cases.

“As we gather more evidence, of testimonies from the rescued victims we can make follow-up investigations and operations,” said Oliva.

In an interview with The Freeman, Police Lt. Col. Christian Torres, spokesperson for the LLCPO, said that their intel indicated the existence of suspected hubs operating in the area.

“Allegedly sa atong intel operatives diri sa Lapu-Lapu is naa ni sa ilahang report nga suspected ni siya…It so happen lang nga naunhan sa NBI ug sa IACAT,” said Torres.

Last month, Lapu-Lapu Mayor Ahong Chan said there are no POGO operations in the city.

Torres also noted that the operation is technically complex, given its involvement in cybercrime. He explained that the NBI and IACAT have the capabilities to detect and track such operations.

The raid that occurred yesterday was the first of its kind in Cebu Province, and investigations will continue to identify other potential illegal POGO hubs in the island. — (FREEMAN)