The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has been ordered to run after illegally operating Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO), Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Jesus Crispin C. Remulla said on Thursday, Sept. 22.
“Now that this has come to light, the NBI is there already. We already have mobilized teams from the NBI to start moving on this one,” Remulla told journalists covering the DOJ.
Last July, Remulla ordered the NBI to suspend all its operations against POGO.
“Kaya natin itinigil ang operation ng NBI noon kasi nga nobody was filing cases (We stopped the NBI operations against POGO because no one was filing cases),” he explained.
He lamented that there were instances when, after NBI operations against POGO, there were no reports being submitted and no cases cases being filed by agents.
“So, we had to stop it,” stressed Remulla who also said previous operations were just a waste of government time and resources.
On the issue of overstaying Chinese POGO workers, Remulla said the Philippines will start deporting them in the new few weeks.
“Hopefully by the end of this month or first week of October magsisimula na tayo (we will begin),” he said.
He said he has started talks with Chinese Embassy officials on the deportation of overstaying POGO workers, about 300 of them.
He also said he held talks with Chinese Embassy Ad Interim Chargé D’affaires Zhou Zhiyong to discuss the issue.
“Pinag-usapan naming yung procedures na gagawin para mapauwi naming yung mga naririto na overstaying (We talked about the procedures that will have to be taken so that these overstaying Chinese nationals will be repatriated),” he said.
At the moment, Remulla said the Bureau of Immigration (BI) has already in its custody around 300 overstaying Chinese nationals.