A "fresh progress" has been made in the law enforcement cooperation between the Philippines and China after another group of Chinese citizens apprehended for working for a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) were sent back to China, its embassy in Manila said Saturday, Oct. 14.
A total of 36 Chinese nationals employed by POGO were recently repatriated as both sides launched a crackdown on Chinese involved in illegal gambling activities.
The effort was taken after a spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in Manila recently said "crimes induced by online gambling harm not only China's interests and China-Philippine relations, but also the interests of the Philippines."
The repatriated individuals were caught when the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) raided a POGO park in Pasay City in August.
"Upon request from PAOCC, the Chinese Embassy in Manila quickly verified the identity of Chinese nationals among the employees and issued them travel documents," the embassy said.
The first batch of them, composed of 75 Chinese employees, were already repatriated to China in September.
"The Chinese embassy will continue its support in China-Philippines law enforcement cooperation to safeguard healthy social economic and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries," it said.