EDITORIAL — POGO operations spreading?

Early last month, law enforcement shut down what appeared to be a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) operation in Barangay Agus, Lapu-Lapu City.

Many people hoped this would be the first and last POGO operation to be found here, but apparently it would not be the last after another suspected POGO operation was found in a resort villa in Moalboal Town Wednesday last week.

According to a report in this newspaper, town authorities became suspicious after receiving an application for high-speed internet from someone staying in the resort, which only advertised accommodations and swimming pool rental.

Town authorities then contacted law enforcement who went to the resort in the guise of conducting a fire safety inspection and there they found the foreigners and the equipment.

Resort employees also said 38 foreigners, who were later found to be undocumented, arrived last September 28 after a booking. They also brought with them computer units and other gadgets.

This is what we are afraid of; the spread of POGO operations into places where we least suspect.

This latest operation shows that there are signs to look for to spot possible POGO operations. For one, the gathering of too many foreigners and, for another, the application for high-speed internet for the most unlikely of places.

But then again we hasten to add that these aren’t accurate indicators of such activities because Cebu is a tourist hub and legitimate foreign tourists flock here in droves. Meanwhile, other kinds of businesses, including legitimate ones, also use high-speed internet, so we can’t really go about treating each application like it will be used for criminal activity.

We laud the town authorities for paying attention and law enforcement for their quick action. In this case a POGO operation was thwarted and victims rescued. Yes, we consider some if not most of the foreigners victims also.

But this find also enforces the long-suspected possibility that there are other such operations in Cebu Province, and perhaps even in the city.