Despite the Philippine government's explicit ban on online gambling companies (POGO), a recent law enforcement operation in Pasay City discovered that illegal gambling operators continue to operate. The President's Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) stated that during this raid, several Filipinos and foreigners were arrested, some of whom were Chinese nationals who were quickly deported to prevent escape.
PAOCC reported that during the enforcement action against an illegal POGO site in Pasay City, it was found that the business was still secretly operating. During the operation, the police arrested several individuals involved, including both Filipino and foreign nationals. Meanwhile, the government took emergency deportation measures for some Chinese suspects to ensure they could not exploit legal loopholes to evade trial.
According to PAOCC spokesperson Winston Casio, some of the deported POGO workers managed to escape during a stopover while being transported to China, which has raised concerns at the diplomatic level.
In response to the escape incident, the Chinese Embassy has formally protested to the Philippine government and requested stricter deportation measures. Casio explained that in some cases, the Chinese Embassy would pay for the deportation tickets for the arrested Chinese citizens. However, due to some flights involving layovers, some suspects took the opportunity to escape, hindering law enforcement efforts.
"To prevent similar incidents from happening again, the Chinese Embassy has formally written to the Philippine Immigration Bureau, requesting the government to stop allowing arrested individuals to have layovers in third countries during the deportation process," Casio added.
PAOCC indicated that in the future, when arranging the deportation of POGO-related suspects, they will prioritize direct flights and arrange for law enforcement officers to escort them throughout the journey to ensure their smooth deportation and eliminate the risk of escape.
The Philippine government has been intensifying its crackdown on the POGO industry in recent years and may adopt even stricter measures in the future to completely eradicate the presence of illegal gambling.
