PAOCC: 9,000 ex-POGO a scattered in Philippines

MANILA, Philippines — Nearly a year after President Marcos banned Philippine offshore gaming operators, over 9,000 foreigners who worked in POGO hubs remain at large, according to the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission.

PAOCC executive director Gilbert Cruz told lawmakers during the House quad committee hearing yesterday that enforcement operations against these illegal foreign workers have been halted due to overcrowding at the commission’s detention facility.

Cruz said 600 foreign workers are being held at the PAOCC detention center in Pasay.

“Several detainees still cannot be deported due to missing passports. This is our problem. Most of the foreign nationals who worked in POGOs had their passports confiscated. They are scattered across the country,” Cruz said.

Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, who presided over the House quad committee hearing, ordered law enforcement agencies to run after the former POGO workers.

“These foreigners are now pakalat-kalat. The concerned agencies should be pro-active, huwag tutulog-tulog. This matter involves national security because these foreigners may either be criminals or spies. For all you know, one of them is your neighbor,” Barbers said.

Cruz also raised concern over the health conditions of the foreigners, citing cases of tuberculosis, hepatitis B, respiratory infections and human immunodeficiency virus among the detainees.

“Three weeks ago, we had to cremate an HIV victim,” Cruz said.

The government currently spends about P2 million a month for food, health care and medical services of the detainees, he said.

To address the situation, Cruz recommended the creation of a centralized database to monitor illegal operations and facilitate real-time intelligence sharing.

He also proposed training and equipping local government units to ferret out clandestine POGO sites, noting that some operations have gone underground.

Cruz said the deportation process of illegal foreign workers must be improved through closer coordination with foreign embassies and stronger regional cooperation.

“This is not only about removing illegal businesses, but also about protecting the country’s integrity, ensuring public safety and demonstrating to the world that the Philippines will not be a safe haven for crime,” he said.

Authorities have arrested 750 foreign nationals in 10 major POGO raids since January.

Cruz said several POGOs have moved to the Visayas and Mindanao. Others have relocated to Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Timor-Leste, Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu. — Delon Porcalla