The Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) has reported cases of small-scale scam hubs operated by Filipinos.
According to a ”24 Oras Weekend” report by Darlene Cay on Saturday, PAOCC spokesperson Winston Casio said that at least 20–30 personnel who may have previously been part of illegal POGOs often run the small-scale scam hubs.
Casio said Filipinos apprehended in Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) hubs that were engaged in illegal activities were freed if there was insufficient proof to prosecute them.
“Hindi kasinglaki ng Porac, pero nakita namin dito sa Mexico, Pampanga [at] Bacolor, Pampanga [na] may mga bahay-bahay na yung operations nila [ay] scamming,” said Casio.
(It’s not as big as Porac, but we saw in Mexico, Pampanga [and] Bacolor, Pampanga [that] there are residences that host scamming operations.)
“A victimizer may have been a victim himself. Case in point, last year we went to Thailand to receive rescued victims who were able to escape from Myawaddy [in Myanmar]. Fast forward [to] August 1, 2023, we raided a scam farm in T. Zamora corner Gaitos in Pasay. One of the 14 quote-unquote rescued Filipinas from Myawaddy, Myanmar was apprehended in T. Zamora, this time as a team leader and manager. We charged her,” he added.
Recent raids have also revealed a pattern of moving from one illicit POGO hub to another, the PAOCC said.
“May nakita nga [na mga tao] doon sa Bamban na nanggaling po doon sa Hong Tai. Yung Hong Tai, yun po yung niraid na ilang libo yung nakuha nila sa Las Piñas. Ngayon, dito naman po sa Porac, meron kaming nakita na mga IDs na mga taong nagtratrabaho dito sa Lucky South na nahuli dati doon sa Hong Sheng. Yun yung POGO na nagrerenta doon sa property ni Mayor Alice Guo sa Baofu,” said Casio.
([Some people] we saw in Bamban came from Hong Tai. In the Hong Tai raid, thousands of workers were rescued in Las Piñas. Now, here in Porac, we saw IDs that there were personnel in Lucky South who were previously arrested in Hong Sheng. That was the POGO that was renting the property of Mayor Alice Guo in Baofu.)
Casio also said the PAOCC is set to file charges in relation to its ongoing investigation into the POGO hub in Porac, Pampanga.
“The inventory will be concluded today so we will have to take a look at all the evidence we have on hand, documentary, testimony and so on as well as digital… and we will decide probably in two weeks time as to the charges to be filed and whom to charge in relation to Porac operation,” he said.
“Mayroong link na matibay between the criminal organization of Bamban and the criminal organization of Porac. Yung mga international criminal syndicates have allied with local criminal syndicates, kaya sobrang lakas po nila,” he said.
(There is a strong link between the criminal organization of Bamban and the criminal organization of Porac. The international criminal syndicates have allied with local criminal syndicates, which is why they are strong.)
The PAOCC, meanwhile, asked the Chinese Embassy to formally inform President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. about its position urging the Philippine government to ban POGOs due to the illegal activities associated with some of them. —Jiselle Anne Casucian/VBL, GMA Integrated News
