Those deported were arrested in a raid on an alleged illegal offshore gaming operator in Bagac, Bataan.
The Philippines.- The Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) has announced that 42 people arrested during a raid on an illegal offshore gaming operator in Bagac, Bataan on October 31 have been blacklisted and will be deported. Executive secretary Lucas Bersamin, who also serves as the chairperson of PAOCC, has directed the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Bureau of Immigration (BI) to expedite the process.
The foreign workers were among over 400 people arrested in the raid, which was coordinated by the PAOCC along with the Philippine National Police (PNP) and armed forces. Officials reportedly received information that the Central One complex within the compound was housing an unlicensed offshore gaming operation.
PAOCC executive director undersecretary Gilbert Cruz told dzBB that around 900 people were employed at the hub. Among them were nationals from China, Vietnam, and Malaysia and 600 Filipinos. The Malolos Regional Trial Court Branch 81 granted a search warrant after determining that there was probable cause indicating violations of Republic Act 9208.
PAOCC spokesperson Winston Casio said the firm operated under a permit from the Authority of the Freeport Area of Bataan but had no online gambling permit from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR).
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has said that he sees no need for new legislation to prohibit offshore gaming operators and internet gaming following Executive Order (EO) 74, which he issued last Friday (November 8).
Speaking with reporters at an event in Parañaque City, Marcos said the executive order was “sufficient”. Referring to claims of potential loopholes in the order, he noted that casinos and integrated resorts run by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) are not allowed to offer offshore gaming and would not be able to do so after the ban.
“There is just no way because it’s the nature of the operation that we are banning,” he said. “It’s not because it’s under PAGCOR or not. So long as it’s an offshore gaming operator or has the similar licence, it’s banned.”
Senator Risa Hontiveros had argued that the order does not explicitly ban offshore gaming operator activities in areas outside the oversight of the PAGCOR. She raised concerns that offshore gaming operators could start to operate within venues such as the City of Dreams and Fontana Leisure Park, as well as in economic zones like the Cagayan Special Economic Zone and Freeport (CEZA).
