Around 200 workers and 16 of their employers were arrested during a raid on an illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) hub in Ayala Avenue, Makati City on Wednesday afternoon, March 19.
According to the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC), the operation, in coordination with the Philippine National Police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) and Makati City Police, stemmed from an arrest warrant to be served to an individual wanted for robbery on the 21st floor of the building where the authorities caught the suspects conducting their illegal POGO activities.
"Pumasok nga sila bumungad nga itong mga computers na ito na nagpapatakbo ng isang online gaming. Nung chineck nga natin with the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) lumalabas na wala nga 'tong lisensya sa PAGCOR (When they entered the building, they saw the computers being used for a banned online gaming platform. When we checked with PAGCOR, we found out that they do not have a license to operate)," PAOCC Executive Director Undersecretary Gilbert Cruz said.
He explained that the POGO has been facilitating online gaming services in various countries, including Japan, China, Germany, France, Indonesia, Spain, Thailand, Vietnam, and Portugal.
Cruz added that the company was also involved in cryptocurrency transactions.
Two hundred employees of different nationalities were apprehended during the raid, including Filipinos, Chinese, Japanese, Malaysians, Taiwanese, Brazilians, and Hong Kong nationals.
Meanwhile, 16 of their employers, all Chinese nationals, were also nabbed during the operation.
"Nahuli naman natin lahat pati yung 16 na bosses. Nakita natin na nagcoconference pa nung inabot natin. Meron lang silang tinatwag na kill switch na pag pinatay nila yun mamamatay 'yung majority of the computers (We caught everyone, including the 16 bosses who were conducting a conference. They have what we call a kill switch wherein once activated, it will automatically shutdown the majority of their computer units)," Cruz explained.
Aside from the suspects' illegal POGO activities, the officials also discovered a text blaster and IMSI-catcher being used in scamming operations.
"Yung mga text blasters ginagamit 'yan sa scamming operation -- 'yung mga nagkakalat ng text blast na nagsasabi kung anong gagawin nila, 'yung marketing scheme ng POGO operation nila and then 'yung IMSI-catcher, 'yan 'yung mga humihigop, kumukuha ng data natin, ng mga cellphones na nasasagap sa paligid (The text blasters are being used in their scamming operation. These are devices that send text blasts to their victims detailing their POGO operation's marketing scheme. The IMSI-catcher, on the other hand, collects data and other digital information from cellphones near them)," Cruz said.
The official explained they will coordinate with the Bureau of Investigation (BI) to check if the arrested foreign nationals have working permits.
Further investigation and an inventory of the POGO hub are still ongoing.