PRIVATE rooms, a pharmacy, a KTV area, a spa, a mini-grocery store, a restaurant, and an alleged prostitution den with an aquarium viewing chamber.
These are some of the many facilities discovered as authorities raided a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) hub in Pasay City on Friday over reports of illegal operations and prostitution.
Authorities found more than five hundred foreign and Filipino nationals at the hub.
Among them were seven trafficked Filipino women who were found in an aquarium viewing chamber.
“They are, against their will, inside this facility. It’s like they can’t leave, and the things they’re being made to do are against their will,” according to PCol Portia Bañaga Manalad, PNP-Women and Children Protection Center.
There were also two Chinese workers who claimed they were being held against their will and subjected to torture.
Given the abundance of evidence pointing to sex trafficking on the site, an onsite inquest hearing for the filing of criminal charges is suggested according to the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission.
DOJ studies forfeiture of assets of a POGO hub for alleged human trafficking
The Department of Justice is also studying the possibility of forfeiting the assets of the said POGO hub.
“We will study the possibility of forfeiting all these assets since they were engaged in the trafficking of persons. We saw that even Filipinas were here. They were trafficked,” Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla, Department of Justice said.
Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla added that they will secure cyber warrants to access data from the computers found on the site that might be involved in scams.
Law enforcement also found nine officials allegedly behind the illegal operations.
Sec. Remulla said that they will be in touch with the Chinese Embassy to determine how many of their citizens are involved in the operations.
DOJ appeals to LGUs to stop illegal POGO operations
The DOJ will also ask the Pasay City Government to give to them their inspection permits, reports, and records of the POGO hub.
“We were forced to good to ask them questions since the City Hall is near this site. Why is this happening? We have to ask them questions. The city hall operatives are allowing this to happen,” Remulla added.
In the end, the official appeals to local government units across the country to halt illegal POGO operations in their areas.
“This is a call to our local government units to be wary of all activities that have to go with POGO to make sure that all their inspections are properly done,” Remulla said.
“This appeal is for the entire Philippines, all of Metro Manila, wherever these activities are taking place. Let’s work together,” Remulla added.
