BI to deport 29 foreigners arrested in guerilla POGO in Cavite 

The 29 foreigners arrested during the raid of a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) inside a resort in Silang, Cavite on Wednesday will be deported, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said. 

The bureau said on Thursday that it has already initiated deportation proceedings against the 23 Chinese citizens and six Burmese employees. 

“Physical custody of these foreigners will be with the PAOCC but they will be under the legal custody of the BI due to ongoing deportation proceedings,” said BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado in a statement.

The BI added that it is also planning to file charges for harboring illegal aliens against the renters of the resort. 

“If during our investigation, we discover that they have knowingly harbored these illegal workers, then they will face cases for violation of the Philippine immigration law,” said Viado.

The Philippine Immigration Act of 1940 prohibits harboring illegal aliens, and violators may face up to 10 years in prison.

The Philippine National Police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) first discovered the illegal operation of the POGO and shared the information with the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC).

CIDG Cavite said the POGO workers arrived at the resort last December. They were using laptops instead of desktop computers, with each person using a mobile WiFi instead of an internet router. —Vince Angelo Ferreras