21 South Koreans, Pinoys nabbed in POGO raid

MANILA, Philippines — Six South Korean nationals and 15 Filipinos were apprehended in a raid on a suspected illegal Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) hub in Pasay City on Monday.

Armed with a mission order, joint teams from the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission, Bureau of Immigration and the police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group swooped down on the POGO facility inside the Heritage Hotel, according to PAOCC executive director Gilbert Cruz.

The raid on the hotel at the corner of Roxas Boulevard and EDSA occurred at around 5:20 p.m.

Prior to the raid, Cruz said informants informed them about a group of South Koreans operating an online gaming hub with their compatriots as their clients.

“The foreigners were also allegedly involved in game fixing and online scamming,” he said.

Authorities found the foreigners and their Filipino employees engaged in sports betting and cryptocurrency.

Cruz said some of the Filipinos admitted that they previously worked for four POGOs, which stopped operation after President Marcos had banned the online gaming industry.

The South Koreans are being held at the PAOCC facility in Pasay.

Charges of violating Republic Act 8799, the Securities Regulation Code, and illegal gambling in relation to RA 10175, the Cybercrime Prevention Act, are being readied against the suspects.

Cruz said they would investigate the hotel’s management to determine how a POGO hub was able to operate in the building. — Evelyn Macairan