The Philippine Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) has recently intensified its crackdown on illegal offshore gaming operators (POGOs), establishing a special tracking team to address the ongoing clandestine gambling activities. Despite President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. officially banning POGOs for over a month, the police have discovered that some small-scale POGOs are still in operation.
Colonel Marlon Quimno, the head of CIDG in the National Capital Region, stated that although large POGOs have almost disappeared, there are still "guerrilla-style" small operations with about 15 to 20 employees at each site, significantly less than the 300 to 500 people per center in the past.
"Now, their operations are more secretive, with only 15 to 20 people in a room, making it easier for them to hide," Quimno said.
Despite the government's ban, last week authorities raided a suspected Chinese-operated POGO in an office building in Parañaque City, arresting over 450 people. This included 18 Chinese nationals and two Filipinos, who were formally criminally charged with violating human trafficking laws. Quimno noted that this was the first time Filipinos were criminally charged in connection with human trafficking.
The arrested individuals are currently detained by the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC), and about 100 more foreigners are undergoing identity verification by the immigration bureau.
"We are also investigating Filipinos not included in the arrest list, and if found involved in online gambling activities, they will face legal proceedings," Quimno added.
PAOCC previously stated that POGOs in the capital region were mainly concentrated in the southern areas of Makati, Pasay, and Parañaque. However, Quimno clarified that CIDG's investigation would cover the entire Greater Manila Area to more comprehensively combat illegal gambling activities.
"The POGO issue is not limited to individual cities but is spread across the entire Greater Manila Area. Therefore, our goal is to expand the investigation and strive to completely resolve this issue," he stated.
The police emphasized that more raids would be conducted in the future, hoping to further reduce or even completely eliminate illegal POGO activities.
