Top officials of the Philippine National Police (PNP) met on Thursday, Sept. 2, and discussed law enforcement actions that include setting up of China Desk in various police stations to specifically address kidnapping and other concerns of Chinese tourists and workers in the country.

PNP spokesperson Brig. Gen. Ronnie Olay said that aside from kidnapping, other security concerns discussed during the meeting were the crackdown on illegal POGO (Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators) activities, telecom fraud and drug-related crime.

“Also discussed were updates on the proposed establishment of China Desks in the PNP Offices that will address concerns on the protection of overseas Chinese nationals and organizations,” said Olay.

Since 2017, police noticed a spike in kidnapping-for-ransom activities involving POGO workers and Chinese tourists in the country. The perpetrators are also Chinese with the help of the locals who are reportedly providing them with guns and hideouts.

Based on the PNP data, there are two major modus being employed in kidnapping activities involving Chinese nationals.

First is that recruiters for POGOs in the country would convince potential employees in China to work the Philippines through high salary and other perks. But as soon as the would-be employees arrive, the agreed salary and perks are not which would prompt them to back out or eventually escape.

This would lead to kidnapping wherein goons hired by some POGO operators would force the would-be employees to pay for their expenses for the travel in the country. In some cases, the POGO workers are sold to other POGOs.

Another modus is that some Chinese groups would convince casino players in China to play in the country. They would provide money until the Chinese player would be buried in the loans and when they would fail to pay, they are kidnapped and detained until their relatives would pay.

Olay said the meeting between the Philippine National Police and the Ministry of Public Security of the People’s Republic of China was aimed at strengthening cooperation and collaboration on mutual law enforcement and transnational security concerns affecting both countries.

PNP Chief, Police General Guillermo Lorenzo T Eleazar led a delegation of top PNP officials today in a virtual bilateral meeting with Chinese police counterparts from the Ministry of Public Security headed by Mr. Wang Xiaohong, the Vice Minister of MPS.

Both the PNP and the MPS also agreed to work together to ensure security of the 24th Winter Olympics in Beijing in February 2022.

The PNP and MPS bilateral conference opened doors for training cooperation and mutual assistance, including counter-terrorism, anti-drug operation, personal online training, and policing material aids.

The 90-minute conference adjourned on a high note with both delegations seeking further inter-agency cooperation under the framework of the Ministerial Meeting on Transnational Crime among INTERPOL, ASEAN and China (10+1); and Ministerial Meeting between among China, Japan, Korea.

The PNP and MPS both maintain liaison offices in Beijing and Manila through designated official police attaches.