The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) has formed tracker teams to monitor the guerrilla operations of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) in Metro Manila following President Marco’s total ban order.

Police Col. Marlon Quimno, director of the CIDG-National Capital Region, said the task of the tracker teams is to intensify intelligence monitoring and conduct operations against POGO remnants in the country’s capital.

Metro Manila used to be the main hub of POGO operations, which resulted in the spite of criminal activities, particularly kidnapping and human trafficking.

But despite the President’s order for the total ban effective December last year, remnants of the closed POGOs set up their own operations, according to Quimno.

“One of the challenges is that they shifted to a guerrilla mode operation. Before, they had 30 to 500 personnel but right now, the number has been trimmed down to 15 to 20,” said Quimno.

Last week, however, a Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission-led operation led to the arrest of 453 persons in a raid in a POGO facility in Parañaque City.

Last Thursday night, PAOCC reported that authorities raided and shut down an alleged Chinese-run Pogo facility in Parañaque City. The operation resulted in the arrest of 453 individuals.

Of the 453, a total of 307 are Filipinos, 137 Chinese, three Vietnamese, two Malaysians, two Thais, one Indonesian and one Taiwanese.

Quimno said the CIDG tracker teams will not only focus the operation in the southern part of Metro Manila which was identified as the concentration of the guerrilla operation but also in other areas in the metropolis.

While PAOOC earlier said that most of the raided POGOs in Metro Manila were located in the southern part of the capital region, namely in Makati, Pasay and Parañaque, Quimno clarified that the CIDG looks at all cities in the capital region.