Everyone probably still remembers the days at the end of October when several buildings, companies, and field operations were continuously raided, causing the dog-pushers to nearly break down mentally, almost ready to pack up and flee.
Especially on October 31, even the business process outsourcing (BPO) company Central One Bataan PH, Inc, owned by Malaysians in Bagac, Bataan Province, was raided, making the dog-pushers feel that the Philippines was getting serious!
At the time of the raid, the CEO of the outsourcing company, Norman Hon Wui Chaw, even came forward to explain to law enforcement: We are a BPO, and we have obtained permission from the local government and the Bataan Freeport Zone.
But the law enforcement did not listen: With so many people here, so many mobile phones, so much data, you must be related to illegal fraud activities. Moreover, we are following the proper procedures, with a search warrant obtained from the Malolos Court on October 29.
PAOCC spokesperson Winston Casio stated firmly: "We received complaints that there are Filipinos suffering from labor trafficking here."
"There are also foreigners detained inside. They complain that they are not free to leave or move around the premises. So, there are indications of labor trafficking."
The executive director of PAOCC said, "It does not have a secondary license issued by PAGCOR. Although it is indeed a BPO and has obtained permission from the investment promotion zone."
Meaning, having the local government and Bataan Freeport Zone's permission is not enough; you also need PAGCOR's permission.
During the inspection, it was reported that 600 Filipinos and 300 Asian workers were found, most of whom were Chinese and Malaysians.
PAGCOR had a valid point, saying, "We also saw them using a gaming platform called Winbox. This Winbox platform is banned in other countries because it is marked for use in so-called cryptocurrency investment scams."
According to some Philippine media reports, Casio also said that rows of computers and mobile phones used for gambling operations were found in the raided company, processing bets worth millions or even billions of pesos "weekly."
After the raid, CentralOne Bataan issued a statement emphasizing that there were no criminal, civil, or regulatory charges against the company or its executives. The company denied involvement in activities such as underground banking, cryptocurrency scams, romance scams, internet fraud, and online gambling.
Moreover, employees also expressed support for the company, emphasizing a good working environment and generous benefits.
But despite this, the company was still sealed off. 57 foreigners and 358 Filipinos were arrested.
Unfortunately, it was also discovered that there was an Indonesian team leader in the company who was wanted in Indonesia for fraud activities.
It was initially thought that the aftermath would involve deportations, but then! The twist in the event came so unexpectedly!
A video suddenly circulated online, showing PAOCC spokesperson Casio slapping an employee of the company. "Slap, slap, slap," he called out three times!
To prevent the incident from escalating, PAOCC subsequently issued a memo, asking Casio to submit a written explanation within 24 hours and announcing his temporary suspension from his spokesperson duties until the investigation is completed.
Later, Casio admitted to the slapping, apologized, but also explained that at the time, some Filipino workers were not only rude to the PAOCC team and media representatives but also used insulting gestures to provoke. Due to the tense situation at the time, he chose to slap the person instead of resorting to legal action, as the involved worker agreed to accept this minor punishment.
According to his own words, he gave the disrespectful PAOCC company employee two options: face an unfair harassment complaint or get slapped twice.
"I said, okay, I won't sue you, but I will slap you a few times." He said, "Sir, just one slap." So I slapped him once, and it turned into three," Casio said.
Following this, he also mentioned that he was considering resigning.
However, public opinion was clearly not so easy to sway.
Especially when the company had the advantage in public opinion, they chose to confront the issue head-on!
The day before yesterday, the company's lawyer stated that they would file a motion to revoke the search warrant. The lawyer declared that Central One is a business process outsourcing (BPO) company registered with the Authority of the Freeport Area of Bataan (AFAB). Founded by two Filipinos, one Singaporean, and one Malaysian, and with its articles of incorporation revised in 2023, it focuses on online interactive entertainment and live content, operating completely legally and compliantly.
Not only that, but the company is seeking to regain the use of facilities and equipment seized by agents to resume operations as a business process outsourcing (BPO) company.
Furthermore, the lawyer also stated that they would assist the utility worker slapped by Casio in filing a defamation lawsuit and a separate personal injury lawsuit.
The key point is, this employee was not only slapped by Casio but also beaten by another senior official!
Once the news broke, the government was also panicked, quickly stating: The relevant departments have confirmed that the park has nothing to do with POGO, and operations will soon resume.
Then, 41 foreign employees arrested during the recent law enforcement raid were released. (According to the lawyer, there were only 41 foreign employees, not the 300 mentioned in the reports)
Albert Garcia, the congressman for the second district of Bataan, also signed a guarantee on the immigration documents, ensuring the lawful behavior of these employees and promising that they will follow legal procedures. (No bail required, but they must report to the immigration office twice a month and be listed on a ban list.)
Looking at the entire event, the quick reversal had several reasons.
Firstly, the company indeed did not engage in any POGO-related business. If there really were POGO-related operations, even if they were greatly wronged, they would not dare to openly challenge!
In June this year, Joet Garcia, the governor of Bataan, explicitly stated that there were no POGO operations within Bataan Province, emphasizing that the local area only supports legal BPO businesses.
You might not believe the company executives, but you should listen to the governor, right?
No, PAOCC didn't listen.
This is also the second reason for the quick reversal: lack of communication between departments and imprecise law enforcement processes.
Moreover, regarding the issue of licenses, each department has different standards. As a company in the economic zone, generally, having the provincial government and economic zone's permission should be enough, but according to PAOCC, that's not enough; those licenses are only considered "secondary."
Another more important reason is public opinion.
Arresting people and enforcing the law is acceptable. But if you make a mistake in the enforcement target and oppress employees during the process,
Just because you have some power, how can you just slap people around?
As law enforcers, giving people a choice between being slapped and being sued is clearly an abuse of power. It's no wonder public opinion condemned the government departments and supported the beaten employees and the company!
This incident can be described as a lot of thunder with little rain, ultimately turning into a farce!
