PHILIPPINE STAR/EDD GUMBAN

THE PHILIPPINE government deported 84 Chinese nationals on April 11 as part of a crackdown against Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO), the Bureau of Immigration  said on Monday.

In a statement, the bureau said they were flown aboard a Philippine Airlines flight to Beijing. The Chinese citizens were overstaying and undocumented, it added.

They were apprehended in separate operations in Tarlac, Cebu and Parañaque.

“This is a stern warning to all illegal foreign operators,” Immigration Commissioner Joel Anthony M. Viado said. “We are watching and we will act decisively.”

The bureau reaffirmed its commitment to support law enforcement agencies in securing the country’s borders and rooting out foreign-linked criminal activities.

The deportation was coordinated with the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission, National Bureau of Investigation and Chinese Embassy as part of a multi-agency effort to shut down POGOs.

The Philippines banned POGOs last year on the order of President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr., amid mounting reports linking some operations to criminal syndicates.

At its peak, the POGO industry employed more than 100,000 foreign nationals who were mostly Chinese, but thousands have since had their work visas downgraded or canceled.

The bureau earlier said more than 2,000 POGO workers had their visas downgraded to tourist status. While many have left, about 8,000 foreign POGO workers remain in the country illegally. — Chloe Mari A. Hufana