Operatives of the Philippine National Police (PNP) have been given 24 hours to leave the compound in Las Piñas City which was raided on June 27 for allegedly running Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs).
In a demand letter sent by the law firm which represents Xinchuang Network Technology, Inc., lawyer Ananias Christian Vargas said the continuous presence of policemen in the premises of its clients in Barangay Almazan Uno since June 27 has been disrupting the business operations of the company.
Likewise, Vargas also asked the PNP to return the vaults which the police allegedly took during the operation although they are not covered by the search warrants.
“You are hereby given a period of twenty four (24) hours within which to vacate the premises, return the 124 safety deposit boxes or vaults that you illegally seized and destroyed, including the contents thereof, and to pay the damages incurred by my client for a yet to be determined amount, lest we be constrained to file the appropriate legal actions - criminal, civil, and administrative - against you and everyone under your command and implementing your illegal orders, without any hesitation,” the demand letter dated July 3 read.
The letter was addressed to heads of the PNP units which carried out the service of the search warrants and were also sent to some ranking government officials.
“We have validated reports and witnesses who will prove that you destroyed properties belonging to my client, including CCTV cameras, door locks, and other fixtures and items, and the one hundred twenty four (124) safety deposit boxes or vaults that you removed from the premises and forcibly opened, but which are not even the subject of the warrants that you implemented,” the letter read.
Vargas also explained that the presence of policemen in the area also violates the rights of his client for due process, including the continuous holding of its employees.
“Regardless of your opinion that the foreign nationals being detained therein are ‘victims,’ who are eligible for repatriation, there is no question that the subject premises are neither a holding nor a detention facility o f the Bureau of Immigration. After all, immigration matters are no longer within the ambit of the powers of the Philippine National Police,” the letter read.
Search warrant authority
In a press briefing at Camp Crame in Quezon City, PNP chief information officer Brig. Gen. Redrico Maranan said the presence of the policemen in the alleged POGO hub in Las Piñas City is a continuing process of the implementation of the search warrants.
“We are acting on the authority of the search warrant that was issued by a court. That process is ongoing and once it is completed, our personnel will immediately leave,” said Maranan.
The alleged POGO hub is currently being used to process the remaining foreign workers that were rescued when personnel from the Anti-Cybercrime Group (ACG) and the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) raided the area for possible violation of anti-human trafficking and cybercrime laws.
During the operations, more than 2,700 Filipino and foreign workers were rescued—all the more than 1,500 Filipinos were already processed and released.
As of Monday, July 3, around 600 of the 1,200 rescued foreign workers are still being processed.
Aside from processing of the rescued workers, Maranan said ACG experts are also conducting examinations on the seized computers and other digital data.
“We have to understand that thousands of computer sets were there and thousands of people were there. So it takes time before it is completed, before the process of search warrant implementation is completed,” said Maranan.
As such, Maranan said it will take longer than 24 hours before the process is completed.
The vaults
In a press briefing on Monday, July 3, PNP spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo said the vaults being questioned are covered by the search warrant.
“It is included as subject for search warrant because the subject of the search warrant are instruments of trafficking and cybercrime offense,” said Fajardo.
Fajardo then advised the lawyers of the company to bring all their concerns to the proper forum where she said, the PNP is ready to respond.