The Executive Director of the Philippine Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC), Deputy Minister Gilbert Cruz, introduced a series of official actions against POGO at an event and revealed a lot of insider information.
How is the official crackdown on POGO progressing? The head of PAOCC reveals 7 insider messages
The following are the 7 key pieces of information revealed by Cruz:
1. There are still 8,000 people waiting to be deported, with the government aiming for "zero POGO" by the end of the year
Cruz stated that there are currently 8,000 people waiting to be deported, and the government's goal is to completely eliminate all illegal POGO operators by the end of 2025, achieving "zero POGO".
2. Deportation is slow due to coordination with various embassies
In response to previous criticisms of the slow pace of official deportations, Cruz said that the Philippine government is coordinating the deportation process with the relevant country's embassies and has requested clearance certificates from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).
3. Deportation tickets are paid for by the respective countries
Cruz revealed that in the past, the cost of deporting foreign POGO personnel was borne by the Philippine government, but now some countries have started to pay for their citizens' return flight tickets themselves, showing support for the Philippines' crackdown on illegal POGO.
4. Guerrilla POGO centers are mainly concentrated in Makati, Pasay, and Taguig BGC
Cruz said that although the Philippine government has shut down major POGO centers, some small POGOs are still operating guerrilla-style, especially in Makati City, the Mall of Asia (MOA) in Pasay City, and the BGC area in Taguig City.
He pointed out that POGO operators have moved from large centers to apartments, residential areas, and even rooms in hotels and resorts for secret operations.
Cruz said, "They know they are a major target, but they continue to operate because the profits from POGO are quite substantial."
5. The situation of illegal detention of employees in POGO centers is severe
In a previous raid in Pasay City, PAOCC rescued 34 Indonesian victims and arrested a Chinese woman named Liu Meng, two unidentified Chinese men, and a Malaysian.
Cruz revealed that these Indonesian victims told the authorities that they were forced to engage in "fraudulent operations" and their Chinese supervisors threatened that unless they repaid debts ranging from 50,000 to 100,000 pesos, their passports would not be returned.
6. Some POGO centers are moving to countries like Cambodia!
Cruz also revealed that the POGO center in Pasay, which was destroyed, had actually suspended operations on January 21, but they are planning to relocate to Cambodia.
Cruz said, "They choose to go to Cambodia because they believe the regulations there are more lenient, so they want to transfer their business from the Philippines to Cambodia. We will certainly inform the Cambodian authorities about this."
7. A large amount of torture videos found in POGO dens, methods extremely cruel!
Additionally, another rescue operation by PAOCC last week was successful in rescuing a kidnapped Chinese citizen named Wang, who was reported missing on February 12.
Cruz said that this Chinese citizen had obvious signs of torture, and investigators found multiple videos on the kidnappers' phones showing other foreigners being tortured.
One of the victims was threatened with a gun, and a woman was tortured with a stun gun.
Cruz said, "They are so bold and their methods so cruel. According to our investigation, initially these criminals would hire Filipinos as accomplices to help them with kidnapping, killing, and torturing. But now, they operate entirely on their own, having their own 'law enforcement team'."
Cruz stated that the identities of all the victims have not yet been confirmed, and he urged families with missing relatives who suspect they were forced to work by illegal POGO to contact PAOCC promptly to confirm whether they are among those who have been tortured.
