By Junex Doronio
MANILA — Contrary to the claim of Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Junard “Ahong” Chan that there are no Phillippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) in the highly urbanized city, more than 100 foreign nationals, including Chinese, Indonesians, and Burmese from Myanmar, were rescued from a suspected illegal POGO hub in a hotel in Barangay Agus.
The raid on Saturday (31 August 2024) 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).
“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,” PAOCC spokesperson Winston Romeo Casio disclosed in a press conference.
He confirmed that the raided facility inside Tourist Garden Hotel was operating as a POGO hub.
“This is a 100-percent illegal POGO,” Casio pointed out.
He further bared that 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.
The Lapu-Lapu City mayor was conspicuously absent during the raid.
Police Lt. Col. Christian Torres, spokesperson for the LLCPO, confirmed that they received intelligence reports about the existence of suspected hubs operating in the area.
For his part, Bureau of Immigration (BI) 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,” the BI chief said in a statement.
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