On September 13, 2024, the Department of Justice (DOJ) of the Philippines recommended charges against two Chinese nationals involved in a raided Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) company in Porac, Pampanga.
The DOJ's decision stemmed from a recommendation by the Philippine Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) in July to prosecute the two individuals. Previously, PAOCC had suggested charging 41-year-old Jiang Shi Guang and 37-year-old Qin Ren Gou with serious human trafficking and kidnapping offenses, suspecting them of managing Chinese nationals working at the POGO company Lucky South 99.
In a 14-page resolution, the DOJ prosecution team suggested charging one of the defendants with serious human trafficking and the other with kidnapping. Meanwhile, the prosecutors dismissed the complaints of kidnapping, serious illegal detention, and human trafficking against the two defendants.
One complainant claimed that he arrived in the Philippines in October 2019 and was recruited as a chef by another Chinese in May 2024. However, he was subsequently sold to the Lucky South 99 company in Porac and forced into scam operations. When he expressed his desire to resign, he was tortured.
Another complainant stated that he was kidnapped in June and taken to the POGO center. When his wife refused to pay the kidnappers a ransom of 300,000 pesos, he was tortured. He later managed to escape while still tied to a bed frame.
The DOJ stated that there is sufficient prima facie evidence to reasonably initiate prosecution against the two Chinese nationals.
Lucky South 99 was raided by authorities in June, rescuing over 150 foreign nationals. Relevant officials have filed serious human trafficking complaints against the company's authorized representative, Cassandra Li Ong, and others.
