Some illegal POGOs have stopped operations – PAOCC

MANILA, Philippines — More than a week after President Marcos banned Philippine offshore gaming operator hubs, several illegal POGOs have shut down and their workers have started leaving the country, the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) said yesterday.

In an interview over radio dwPM, PAOCC executive director Undersecretary Gilbert Cruz said illegal POGO operators have opted to pack up and leave after Marcos banned them from the country.

Cruz did not specify how many of the 402 illegal POGOs have stopped their operations.

Cruz admitted some big bosses and major players of POGO hubs are still in the country. It is also unclear if they plan to defy Marcos’ order and continue to operate their illegal activities.

Meanwhile, 27 Chinese nationals held for working illegally in gaming hubs were kicked out of the country yesterday, the Bureau of Immigration said.

The deported Chinese nationals were arrested in operations by the PAOCC in Las Piñas, Pasay and Tarlac for reportedly engaging in “illegal online gaming activities” and “violating Philippine immigration laws.”

Cruz said the role of local governments is important, as they can monitor if there are illegal POGOs in their communities.

“That is easy enough to know because we have indicators that a building or an area is being used as a scamming hub or illegal POGO hub,” he said. — Ghio Ong