The head of the Philippine National Police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG), Major General Nicolas D. Torre III, stated that last Thursday, the PNP-CIDG and the Bureau of Immigration agents jointly arrested 86 foreigners, many of whom were from China, accused of working in an underground online gambling company and "scam hub" in Makati City.
In a report submitted to the Chief of the Philippine National Police, General Rommel Francisco D. Mabil, the official stated that the raid on the 100 West Apartments along Senator Gil Puyat Avenue was one of the measures to strengthen the crackdown on the resurgence of illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO).
These agencies had been ordered to shut down by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on December 31 last year.
Major General Torre stated, "Following the President's order to prohibit all POGO and licensed online gambling operations in the Philippines, and General Mabil's instructions, we have intensified our efforts to combat economic sabotage, human trafficking, and the illegal operations of POGO and IGL."
The official mentioned that last Thursday, they assisted the Immigration Bureau's fugitive search team and the Makati City Police Department in executing an immigration order against a Chinese citizen accused of human trafficking in a building in Makati City.
He mentioned that prior to this operation, a Filipino woman sought police assistance on behalf of her Chinese friend to investigate a secret "SOS message" sent to her, claiming that the sender was illegally detained and prohibited from leaving their workplace at the West 100 Apartments.
Major General Torre stated that the operation resulted in the arrest of 82 Chinese citizens, 3 Vietnamese citizens, and 1 Malaysian citizen, all caught red-handed for their involvement in online scam activities and illegal POGO operations.
The police also seized several computers and electronic devices used for illegal online operations in the building.
Major General Torre stated that one of the individuals confirmed to be a foreigner using the alias "Tran," originally a Chinese citizen, was an administrative officer at a suspected POGO company named Sales Street Online-Gaming Supported Provider.
The head of the Philippine National Police CIDG stated, "The company was implementing a type of 'e-commerce' online scam targeting online consumers and businesses to gain economic benefits, using various means to lure users into providing personal or financial information, or engaging in fraudulent transactions."
He stated that criminal charges would be filed against Tran and others for violating Republic Act No. 10364 or the 2012 Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act.
Major General Torre added that the arrested foreign nationals had been detained by the Immigration Bureau to record their immigration status and conduct further investigations to determine if there were violations of Philippine immigration laws or other national laws.
He stated, "This successful operation highlights the strengthened coordination between the national government, the Philippine National Police CIDG, and the Immigration Bureau under Administrative Order No. 74, intensifying the crackdown on illegal offshore gaming companies and government gaming corporations."
