In less than a month, the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) and the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) raided two suspected fraud centers located in the heart of the Makati Central Business District (CBD), arresting hundreds of foreigners and Filipinos suspected of engaging in illegal activities.
The latest raid took place on the 21st floor of the RCBC Building at Flying Futures Services Inc. Authorities found compelling evidence linking the company to illegal offshore gambling operations.
Evidence found on site included computers running K8, a gaming application banned in multiple countries including the Philippines. Investigators also confirmed that Flying Futures managed the K18.io gaming and gambling platform, which is licensed in Curaçao but not in the Philippines.
Several Filipino employees revealed that they had been working at Flying Futures for four years, well beyond the Philippine government's ban on POGO (Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators) during the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Gilbert Cruz, head of PAOCC, stated that Flying Futures continued to operate as an offshore gambling company even after its one-year operating license expired in 2020.
During the inventory of confiscated materials, law enforcement officers discovered several active computers showing that Flying Futures provided services to players from France, Spain, China, Malaysia, and Japan.
Authorities also found IMSI catchers, high-tech devices capable of extracting data from mobile phones, which raised concerns due to the presence of numerous embassies within the RCBC Building.
In total, 135 foreigners were found working in 12 offices on the 21st floor, and authorities detained about 200 people of various nationalities, including Filipinos, Chinese, Japanese, Malaysians, Indonesians, Brazilians, Kazakhs, Mongolians, and Burmese.
Meanwhile, legal representatives quickly intervened. Lawyer Manny Ventura abruptly stopped an interview between a reporter and a suspected POGO executive, instructing the foreigner not to speak with the media.
Two weeks before the law enforcement action at the RCBC Building, authorities also raided several floors of the PBCom Tower in the same Makati Central Business District. However, no arrests were made as the employees had already fled—reportedly forewarned before the raid. Instead, investigators found abandoned food and cold drinks, indicating a hasty evacuation.
Cruz stated that illegal POGO operators might believe that conducting business within buildings housing at least 20 embassies and consulates would prevent law enforcement agencies from taking action against them.
