PAOCC: Some Chinese POGO workers being deported escape during layover

Several Chinese Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) workers who were being deported after getting arrested in the country were able to escape during layovers en route to China, the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) said Monday.

“Totoo po ‘yan. Marami na kaming natanggap na reports tungkol diyan. Kaya kami ay nakikiusap sa deportation implementation unit ng Bureau of Immigration na 'wag sanang hahayaan na maglabas ng implementation order kapag ang ticket ng foreign national na magbo-voluntary deportation o may deportation order ay mayroong layover,” PAOCC spokesperson Winston John Casio said in a Super Radyo dzBB interview.

(That's true. We have received many reports about that. So we are asking the deportation implementation unit of the Bureau of Immigration not to issue an implementation order if the plane ticket of a foreign national who will be voluntarily deported or who has a deportation order has a layover.)

“Lalo na kapag China, galing sa Maynila, direct flights naman po ang mga papunta ng China. Hindi na kinakailangan ng mga layover layover na ganyan. Ginagamit nilang pagkakataon 'yan para tumakas,’’ he added.

(Especially when it's China, those coming from Manila can have direct flights going to China. There’s no need for such layovers. POGO workers use that opportunity to escape.)

Casio explained that it is the Chinese Embassy that pays for the plane tickets of their nationals arrested in the Philippines. When it comes to cases where it is the PAOCC that sets the deportation of the POGO workers, he said that the Philippine government books direct flights and provides escort throughout the flight.

For voluntary deportation or for those that have deportation orders, Casio said that small groups were no longer escorted once they arrived at the NAIA boarding gates. 

Asked how many foreign POGO workers were able to escape during layovers, Casio said he could not provide numbers but emphasized that the reports are “solid and verified.”

He also disclosed that the Chinese Embassy has already coordinated with them, asking not to allow connecting flights for their arrested nationals.

“Nakipag-ugnayan ang Chinese Embassy sa PAOCC at nakiusap sa amin, at sila din ay sumulat sila sa BI, na 'wag nang hayaan ang ganitong mga mekanismo dahil nakakatakas ang kanilang mga foreign national,” he said.

(The Chinese Embassy asked us and the BI, not to allow such mechanisms because their foreign nationals are able to escape.)

“Nakakalungkot isipin na may mga Chinese na nakaka-access sa mga pamamaraan na hindi dapat nila naa-access,” he lamented.

(It's sad to think that there are Chinese who have access to mechanisms they shouldn't have access to.)

China Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun earlier issued a statement calling on the Philippines to immediately eradicate POGOs.

Guo said that the Chinese government is committed to cracking down on gambling and relevant crimes, and is asking overseas Chinese nationals to strictly abide by local laws and regulations and refrain from engaging in any illegal and criminal activities.

“We urge the Philippines to completely eradicate the scourge inflicted by offshore gambling as soon as possible. China stands ready to work with the Philippines to jointly combat crimes and we also call on the Philippines to conduct law enforcement in a just manner and ensure the legitimate and lawful rights and interests of Chinese nationals in the Philippines,” Guo said in a statement shared by the Chinese Embassy in Manila.

Philippine President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., in his third State of the Nation Address in July 2024, banned all POGOs in the country after some were implicated in crimes, including human trafficking, serious illegal detention, and money scams.

Marcos also issued last year Executive Order No. 74, which states that the ban on POGOs and internet gaming licenses shall encompass illegal offshore gaming operations, license applications, license renewals, and cessation of operations.—AOL, GMA Integrated News