THE list provided by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) to the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) indicates that 402 Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) have already been canceled, yet over a hundred of them are still operating.
This is now the focus of PAOCC’s efforts. Following the operation in Bamban, Tarlac, they moved on to a POGO hub in Porac, Pampanga after receiving video footage and information of torture and sex trafficking at the POGO hub there.
According to PAOCC Spokesperson Dr. Winston John Casio, the information has been confirmed by the commission, prompting them to visit the location.
“We have received videos allegedly showing male and female torture victims at Lucky South 99 in Grand Plaza Royal in Porac, Pampanga. There’s also a video of a naked woman purportedly being forced to dance for online sale. All of these incidents are said to have occurred at Lucky South 99. Because of this, we organized what we call surveillance. We have confirmed and validated that such events did indeed take place,” stated Dr. Winston John Casio, Spokesperson, PAOCC, Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission.
According to the report, this POGO hub has the worst and most notorious reputation.
“Allegedly, according to foreign nationals working in various gaming agencies across the Philippines, this Lucky South 99, also known as Park 3, is purportedly the most rampant, prolific, and worst illegal POGO and scam farm when it comes to killings,” said Dr. Winston John Casio, Spokesperson, PAOCC.
Casio stated that they have rescued a total of 158 foreign nationals there. They have also rescued some Filipinos.
Most of the rescued foreign nationals are from China, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Myanmar.
“158 as of now. Initially, there were 157 foreign nationals. There were also 29 Filipinos, but yesterday, 7 more Filipinos managed to escape from the compound. Earlier this morning, another Chinese national, badly beaten, was added to the count. He escaped from that compound in the early hours. In fact, not only was he badly beaten, but he was also handcuffed and managed to break the bed where he was handcuffed, allowing him to escape,” Casio added.
The victim of the alleged torture in the video was not rescued by PAOCC and was already dead.
The Commission admitted that it is difficult now to gather evidence regarding the victim’s death.
“Unfortunately, we have received reports that the man who was a victim of the beatings in the videos, which also served as the basis for our operation, has passed away. We are currently searching for his body, but we have received reports that, unfortunately, his body has been cremated. So, it may be challenging for us to find evidence regarding his death unless we catch or someone points out who killed him,” Casio said.
