PAOCC: Five-month deadline for POGOs enough to identify bosses

The five-month deadline for all Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) provides ample time for the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) to identify the major players and foreign employees in the industry.

“This five-month period provides ample time not only to identify the bosses, but more importantly, this will be enough to create a database of all foreign nationals working in these companies,” PAOCC Undersecretary Gilbert Cruz said in a statement released Monday midnight.

“This database is crucial to ensure that all POGO workers will be subsequently deported to their countries of origin,” he added.

This came after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. banned all POGOs in the country effective on July 22, 2024 after raids against illegal POGOs revealed equipment used for torture, love scams, and other crimes.

Marcos instructed the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) to ensure that all POGO operations cease by the end of the year.

PAOCC, in coordination with other government bodies, is the lead commission in the consecutive raids against POGOs in the past months.

The biggest raids recently conducted were those in Bamban, Tarlac and Porac, Pampanga, where more than 800 individuals were rescued from the former and around 160 from the latter.

The Department of Labor and Employment on Tuesday said jobs and livelihood programs will be offered to workers affected by the ban.

Meanwhile, Cruz said that PAOCC will promptly collaborate with the Department of Justice Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (DOJ-IACAT), the Bureau of Immigration, the Anti-Money Laundering Council, the Philippine National Police, and the National Bureau of Investigation to implement the order banning POGOs.

“Rest assured that PAOCC, and the other law enforcement agencies will continue to neutralize the scam farms that are still operating,” the undersecretary said.

“More earnestly, PAOCC and its partner agencies will strive to haul these foreign criminals and their local enablers to jail to pay for their crimes,” Cruz added.

In a separate statement, the DOJ also expressed support for the total ban, saying it reflects the administration’s resolve to fairly administer justice.

"Once again, the President's firm resolve to safeguard the rule of law and protect the most vulnerable members of society is crystal clear with his pronouncements and actions," Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said. —KG, GMA Integrated News