RESCUED. Some of the foreigners rescued during the raid of a Philippine offshore gaming operation hub in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu province on Saturday (Aug. 31, 2024). PRO-7 spokesperson Lt. Col. Gerard Ace Pelare on Monday (Sept. 2, 2024) said the Philippine National Police is intensifying surveillance against establishments suspected of operating POGOs in Cebu and other parts of Central Visayas. (Photo courtesy of Alan Tangcawan)
CEBU CITY – The Philippine National Police (PNP) in Central Visayas has intensified its monitoring and surveillance operations against Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGO) following last Saturday’s raid in a Lapu-Lapu City resort that led to the rescue of 162 foreigners.
Police Regional Office-7 Director, Brig. Gen. Anthony Aberin, has instructed all chiefs of police in Cebu province to strengthen their watch against possible POGOs in their respective areas of jurisdiction following the raid of the POGO hub in Barangay Agus in Lapu-Lapu City, according to Lt. Col. Gerard Ace Pelare, the regional police’s spokesperson.
At the same time, Pelare urged Cebuanos to report to authorities establishments that scam people.
According to the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC), the inter-agency that raided the property of the Tourist Garden Hotel in Barangay Agus stemmed from the request of the Indonesian Embassy to rescue eight of their nationals being held in the alleged illegal POGO hub.
The POGO hub was disguised as a resort with a restaurant, a bar, a mini-store, and a swimming pool.
Operatives from PAOCC, National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in Central Visayas, Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) Central Visayas, and the Bureau of Immigration (BI) rescued 162 foreign nationals found working on the scam farm, including 83 Chinese, 70 Indonesian, 2 Taiwanese, 6 Burmese, and a Malaysian.
Lawyer Renan Oliva, regional director of the National Bureau of Investigation in Region 7, said that they coordinated with the PAOCC, the Department of Social Welfare and Development, Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking, and the Bureau of Immigration after confirming that there were indeed violations of laws.
“The first violation was of immigration laws, but we discovered that they seemed to be involved in scams. So, we are processing each identity of the foreigners, including those who were rescued during the raid,” Oliva said.
Some Filipino women were also rescued, including a minor who was turned over to the social welfare office here.
Oliva suspected POGO players in Luzon who were raided by law enforcement units had moved to Cebu to continue their illegal operations. (PNA)
