Operators of the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (Pogo) centers are currently relocating their headquarters to remote areas.
Colonel Gerard Es Pelare, spokesperson for the Central Visayas Police Office (PRO-7), stated that this is one of the measures they are taking to avoid detection.
The day before Pelare made these remarks, another suspected online gambling center was discovered in Moalboal town, south of Cebu.
Authorities inspected a resort in Barangay Saavedra and found that the resort did not have a business permit.
To their surprise, they discovered that since September 24, a total of 38 unlicensed Chinese nationals had been exclusively occupying the resort, and found 34 computers, 4 laptops, and over 200 mobile phones inside.
The police are currently investigating to determine if the resort is indeed a Pogo center.
Just a few months ago, law enforcement found a hotel in Barangay Agus, Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu, to be an online gambling center, housing 169 foreigners.
Although the police have not yet confirmed if the resort in Moalboal is indeed a center for the online gambling industry, Pelare mentioned that they observed operators of such activities moving to more secluded places to evade law enforcement.
"They have taken measures to avoid being detected. If you notice, they have moved their operations to remote cities. These cities were once highly urbanized. But now they are consciously taking measures or designs to hide these activities," said Pelare.
In response, Pelare stated that the police will continue to coordinate with local government units to take proactive actions, which will play a significant role in combating online gambling companies.
Local government units are responsible for inspecting and visiting buildings lacking business licenses with the assistance of the police.
"What we can do is coordinate with local government units. They conduct inspections and visits, and then we can discover such activities. As I mentioned, the investigation is still ongoing to ensure that this is indeed Pogo, as we need to look into the computers," Pelare said.
Pelare noted that since President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. implemented a nationwide ban three months ago, they have been conducting these activities since the first illegal Pogo center was discovered in the Visayas.
Pelare emphasized that this is part of their relentless efforts to combat all forms of criminal activities, including illegal Pogo and similar activities.
"This has always reminded us, Regional Police Director Brigadier General Anthony Aberin, to combat such illegal activities. Of course, coordination with local government units and other government agencies is necessary. As you can see, this is a new thing and a threat, and it's very complex. We need to take a whole-of-government approach to stop these illegal activities," he said.
