The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) of the Philippines confirmed that on December 6 last year, a raid was conducted in Barangay Manay, District 6, Panabo City, Davao del Norte, resulting in the arrest of 59 employees, including 55 Chinese nationals, suspected of illegal gambling operations.
However, the case was subsequently dismissed in court due to insufficient evidence and the approval of a writ of habeas corpus, leading to the release of all suspects.
Archie Albao, the NBI Director for the Southeastern Mindanao region, stated that although most of the arrested Chinese nationals failed to present valid identification documents, investigators were able to obtain the real Chinese names of many through further investigation. He emphasized, "Even though the case was dismissed by the court, our investigation has not ceased."
Albao noted that the NBI has now shifted its focus to local government officials and Barangay officials suspected of assisting in providing forged documents, promising a thorough investigation into the potential illegal immigration and document forgery chain behind this.
Sources revealed that the Chinese employees involved are suspected of participating in online gambling or other unregistered operations, and their specific roles and the nature of their activities are yet to be confirmed.
The NBI headquarters also stated that it is continuing to track such underground operations and is intensifying surveillance of foreign nationals' activities, especially in the fields of immigration and legal employment.
