THE Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) says on Wednesday that they able to capture wanted fugitives in every raid on illegal POGOs across the country.
They have raided eight POGO hubs so far, including those in Bamban, Tarlac, and Porac, Pampanga.
The fugitives they apprehend are involved in violent crimes such as assault or murder.
“In all the POGO hubs we’ve raided, we always find fugitives. The problem with these fugitives is that they already assume, I mean here in the Philippines, they even have government-issued IDs, driver’s licenses, and other issued IDs. They already assume other names. The only time we will know the foreign nationals are fugitives is when we coordinate with foreign counterparts,” Usec. Gilbert Cruz, Chief, PAOCC stated.
According to PAGCOR there are around 300 POGOs which are no longer licensed in the country.
Most of those without licenses are reportedly in Metro Manila and the Luzon Area.
The raided POGOs in Bamban, Tarlac, and Porac, Pampanga, may be connected to each other, especially since PAOCC discovered similar things in both POGO hubs like having torture rooms where employees who failed to meet their quotas were being punished,
“What we’re seeing is the same, many pre-registered sim cards, they have seen thousands of them in those POGO hubs. Many torture rooms. In Porac, we have seen three torture rooms there. We have seen blood stains, blood splatters on the walls, floors, blankets, and we have torture victims,” Cruz added.
“They often say they didn’t meet the quota; they are required to reach a quota of 5M to 8M per week. In one group, let’s say in one group, three or four, you are required to reach 5 to 8M. If they fail to reach that, they will receive beatings,” Cruz added.
Furthermore, for every violation committed by an employee, their wages are being deducted as punishment.
“Also, they have rules and regulations, for example, it’s forbidden to talk, forbidden to use personal cellphones, there’s a fine for that, it’s 10,000 pesos. Your computer may laugh if it loses alignment, they have many violations there. If you’re earning 80,000 a month, your money will be depleted due to violations,” he added.
PAOCC to charge 15 individuals for illegal POGO ops in Porac, Pampanga
Next week, the PAOCC will begin filing human trafficking complaints against 15 incorporators and torturers in the illegal POGO in Porac.
Meanwhile, the number of deportees due to illegal operations has reached thousands, according to the PAOCC.
The PAOCC stated that deportation is costly, with the government spending over forty million pesos in just four months.
Thus, the PAOCC appeals for stricter scrutiny of foreigners before allowing them to operate POGOs in the country.
The PAOCC believes that syndicates are behind the POGO operations.
“We have records showing that from the beginning, there’s been a syndicate embedded, for example in Bamban, where two wanted individuals, who were even imprisoned in Singapore for money laundering, are incorporated in the papers. This started back in 2020, indicating that these people have been operating for quite some time and are wanted in other countries,” he said.
The PAOCC assured that they remain impartial when conducting raids on illegal POGOs.
Reports on social media about the rampant POGOs in Cavite have reached the PAOCC, but they are still waiting for actual reports and evidence before taking action.
Based on what can be seen on social media, the Remulla family is allegedly linked to the supposed POGO hub at Island Cove in Cavite, which they reportedly used to own.
“There are some. But as I’ve said, they need to show us properly… that’s what I get from social media. What I’m waiting for is the actual evidence, like in the cases of Bamban and Porac, where we were really sent videos. Regarding Cavite, I know what you’re talking about, we don’t have any bias here. If there’s a complaint there, we’ll act on it,” he concluded.
