After implementing a total ban on POGOs in the Philippines, the country has set a new target to eliminate all illegal POGOs, many of which are operating on a smaller scale, by the end of the year.
This declaration came from the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) during the Saturday News Forum in Quezon City.
According to reports from the Philippine News Agency, PAOCC Executive Director Undersecretary Gilbert Cruz stated that, following President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s total ban on POGOs in January, only slightly over a hundred small-scale POGOs remain in operation across the country. The government can only declare the Philippines free of POGOs once all of these operators have been eradicated, Cruz explained.
He added that the PAOCC hopes to either completely halt or significantly reduce illegal POGO operations within the year. Many of these operators, originally based in major POGO hubs, have now relocated to apartments, condominiums, and even hotel rooms in an attempt to evade authorities. Despite being aware of the intensifying crackdown on illegal POGOs, these operators continue their activities because of the significant profits involved in POGO operations.
Illegal POGOs relocating to Cambodia
The PAOCC recently rescued 34 Indonesians from an alleged POGO hub in Pasay and arrested a Chinese woman named Liu Meng, two unidentified Chinese nationals, and one Malaysian.
According to Cruz, the Indonesians reported that they were coerced into working for a fraudulent operation in Pasay. After suspending its activities in January, the company planned to relocate to Cambodia. However, when the Indonesians refused to move, their Chinese supervisors threatened to withhold their passports until they repaid loans ranging from PHP50,000 ($867) to PHP100,000 ($1,733).
The operators aimed to move to Cambodia, where they believed the environment for illegal operations would be more lenient. The PAOCC is working to alert Cambodian authorities about the situation.
