February 27, 2025 | 4:40pm
MANILA, Philippines — Law enforcement authorities arrested 401 foreign nationals working for a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) in Pasay City.
Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) spokesperson Winston Casio reported that joint operations were conducted with the local government unit, the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Department of Justice.
The breakdown of arrested foreigners includes:
- 207 Chinese nationals
- 132 Vietnamese nationals
- 24 Korean nationals
- 11 Malaysian nationals
- 14 Indonesian nationals
- 12 Myanmar nationals
- 1 Madagascar national
Additionally, 52 Filipino workers were found on the premises.
The operation was executed under a mission order issued by the Pasay City Business Processing License Office, following a report of significant foreign national presence within the building.
The PNP CIDG's Anti-Organized Crime Division validated this information before the joint law enforcement operation.
During the raid, operatives uncovered evidence of various illicit activities, including cryptocurrency scams, love scams, investment scams and spamming.
The site was equipped with text blasters, one-time password generators, and cold crypto wallets, indicating a sophisticated scam operation. Viber and Telegram were identified as the primary platforms for these fraudulent activities.
The Pasay City Government promptly issued a Cease and Desist Order (CDO), effectively shutting down the operation site.
This raid is part of the government's ongoing crackdown on POGOs operating secretly following the revocation of all their licenses on Dec. 15, 2024. Operations against POGOs and their workers began on Oct. 15, 2024, when all foreign POGO workers were required to downgrade their special visas to tourist visas.
This is in response to the announcement of the POGO ban of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. during his third State of the Nation Address in July last year following congressional inquiries that revealed its illicit activities.
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