Porac POGO manager prevented from leaving PH —PAOCC

A manager of the raided Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) hub in Porac, Pampanga was prevented from leaving the country, the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) said Monday.

PAOCC spokesperson Dr. Winston Casio said the manager, one of the persons of interest linked to the hub, was offloaded on Sunday in Davao.

“Totoo po ‘yan na medyo nagkaroon na ng chilling effect. In fact, kahapon, may nahuli kami diyan sa Davao. May nahuli kami sa Davao na isang manager na galing diyan sa Porac,” Casio said on Dobol B TV.

(It’s true that it created a chilling effect. In fact, yesterday we arrested someone in Davao. We arrested someone in Davao who is a manager from Porac.)

“Napa-offload po namin siya sa Immigration kahapon, palabas po siya ng bansa. Eh kaya lang, syempre meron nang mga naka-alert, no, sa mga pangalang binabantayan namin,” he added.

(We were able to have the Bureau of Immigration offload him yesterday when he was about to leave the country. But, of course, authorities are already alerted on some names that we are monitoring.)

Casio said authorities will bring the manager to Manila today.

Authorities raided the hub in June and rescued 158 foreign nationals. They also discovered evidence of torture and kidnapping from the compound.

Meanwhile, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation previously said that only one of the 46 buildings inside the Lucky South 99 Corp., the POGO compound in Porac, was given permit to operate.

For its part, the corporation denied that illegal activities occurred in the hub. —KG, GMA Integrated News