2 foreigners face deportation for cheating Pagcor of P.4 million

MANILA, Philippines - Two gambling aficionados are facing deportation after they were caught tampering with the slot machines in a government-run casino in Parañaque.

Immigration Commissioner Marcelino Libanan said Japanese Kasuhiro Watabe and South Korean Kang Dong Mook defrauded the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) of P400,000.

“They will undergo deportation proceedings for being undesirable aliens, aside from facing the criminal charges that were lodged against them with the court,” he said.

The two have been detained at the BI’s detention center in Bicutan, Taguig since May 7.

BI records show Watabe arrived as a tourist, while there is no record of Kang entering the country.

Lawyer Norman Tansingco, BI chief of staff, said the Parañaque police arrested the two last April 29 inside the casino in Barangay Sto. Niño upon complaint of Pagcor.

Before their arrest, Watabe and Kang have been allegedly cheating the slot machines for several days by using a gadget taped to their bodies and a thin wire connected to the machine, he added.

The BI took custody of Watabe and Kang after learning that they were about to post bail on the estafa cases that the police had filed against them, Tansingco said. – Evelyn Macairan