The Philippine Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) stated that since the government officially declared a complete ban on POGO (Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators), about 4000 foreigners involved in related businesses have been deported successively.
PAOCC Vice Chairman Cruz revealed that most of the deported individuals were associated with illegal gambling activities, especially those organizations that masquerade as legitimate businesses but are actually engaged in online fraud and gambling. He pointed out that the current crime pattern of POGO has evolved from the early large-scale park-style operations to "small, dispersed, and covert clusters" to evade law enforcement. A recent raid in Laguna Province uncovered a POGO den operating under the guise of a private resort.
Currently, PAOCC is still detaining about 500 undocumented foreign workers, initially about 1000 people were detained during the operation. Among them, about 120 people have recently been deported back to China, accompanied by Cruz himself on the flight. He mentioned that law enforcement agencies in China and Vietnam have positively evaluated the Philippine government's recent efforts in combating illegal POGO and transnational crime.
PAOCC is investigating the financial flows involved in the POGO cases, particularly focusing on illegal funds flowing through underground gambling intermediaries.
According to previous reports by the Philippine National Broadcasting Corporation, there are still about 9000 to 10000 Chinese citizens stranded in the Philippines. These individuals were employed by POGO companies, and since the Department of Labor revoked the relevant work permits for POGO, the Bureau of Immigration also canceled their work visas and downgraded their status to a 6-month valid tourist visa. Although the visa can be renewed, tracking these individuals remains challenging due to the lack of a centralized database management system.
