On March 19, Philippine law enforcement agencies raided an illegal Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) center located on the 21st floor of the Yuchengco Tower at RCBC Plaza, Ayala Avenue, Makati City, which is housed in the same building as the embassies of South Africa, Canada, and Australia.
This operation resulted in the arrest of nearly 200 suspects, including nationals from the Philippines, China, Japan, Malaysia, Taiwan, Brazil, and Hong Kong.
The original target of the raid was Dennis E. Esguerra, who was wanted for robbery. Judge Rico Sebastian D. Liwanag of the Makati City Regional Trial Court Branch 136 issued an arrest warrant for him on February 28. However, during the operation, the police unexpectedly discovered a long-hidden illegal POGO center in the building.
Investigations revealed that the center was operated by Flying Future Company, primarily offering online gambling services to countries such as Japan, China, Germany, France, Indonesia, Spain, Thailand, Vietnam, and Portugal. More concerningly, the company was also involved in cryptocurrency transactions, potentially linked to financial fraud.
Gilbert Cruz, Deputy Minister of the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC), disclosed that the POGO center had been operating discreetly since the Marcos administration announced a complete ban on POGO businesses, attempting to conceal its real operations. "They operate in plain sight, but they disguise it very well," Cruz said, noting that such institutions sharing a building with financial institutions and embassies pose serious security risks.
Flying Future claimed to hold a special category of business process outsourcing (BPO) license, but Cruz emphasized that the company did not have legal authorization from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR).
In addition to gambling operations, authorities also discovered SMS transmitters and International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) catchers at the site. These devices can intercept mobile signals and track users, and might even be used for telecommunications fraud. The police are further investigating whether Flying Future is involved in illegal cybercrime.
Internally, the center was set up like a regular company, with meeting rooms, a cafeteria, a coffee shop, and even a dedicated training room for new employees, trying to masquerade as a legitimate business.
Building Management: Due Diligence Conducted, Illegal Activities Unnoticed
On March 20, the management of RCBC Plaza issued a statement saying that when Flying Future applied for tenancy, its company information was presented as an "IT support company," and it had obtained a business permit from the Makati City government.
Marjorie Abot, General Manager of RCBC Plaza, stated that the company was not on the list of POGO enterprises whose licenses were revoked and ordered to close by PAGCOR as of March 31, 2024, hence there was no reason for the management to suspect the nature of its business at that time. She emphasized that the building management would fully cooperate with the authorities' investigation.
In 2024, Philippine President Marcos announced a complete ban on POGO, citing involvement in money laundering, illegal immigration, human trafficking, and bribery among other criminal activities. However, despite intensified government efforts, several POGOs continue to operate secretly.
Earlier this month, PAOCC had just raided a POGO in the PBCom Tower in Makati, but the workers managed to escape before the police arrived. This operation at RCBC Plaza once again highlights the ongoing activity of the illegal gambling industry in the Philippines, necessitating increased law enforcement to completely eradicate this issue.
