Philippine authorities have launched a major operation in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu to investigate suspected illegal online gaming activities, resulting in the arrest of 162 foreign nationals, mostly from China and Indonesia.
A joint task force led by the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) conducted the operation on Saturday at the facility located at the Tourist Garden Hotel in Lapu-Lapu.
The operation was aimed at disrupting the activities of an illegal Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO).
According to PAOCC spokesman Winston Casio, the target was suspected of engaging in criminal online activities, including illegal online gaming.
Mr. Casio reported thatthe raided site was operating as a “100-percent illegal POGO,” a term now synonymous with Internet Gaming Licensees (IGLs). He stated, “We’ve seen enough evidence to be able to file a cybercrime offence, for facilitating cybercrime-related gambling, [and] cybercrime-related qualified trafficking.”
The materials found included makeshift workstations where the individuals were allegedly running illegal online gaming operations.
The raid was carried out in response to a request from the Indonesian Embassy after three Indonesian nationals escaped from the complex.
This highlights the international nature of the issue, as foreign nationals play a key role in the operations and the legal action involved.
The individuals are expected to be transported to Manila for further investigation for violating immigration laws.
Bureau of Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco stressed that accountability should not only extend to those detained.
He suggested that resort owners who knowingly make their facilities available for illegal activities should be held accountable.
“We will suggest to the authorities to file cases against resort owners that allow their properties to be used by illegal aliens in their covert operations,” Tansingco stated.
The raid is part of a larger crackdown on illegal online gaming in the Philippines, which was launched after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced in July that offshore gambling should be stopped by the end of the year.
The president criticized POGO for engaging in activities that are far from legal gambling, underscoring the government’s tough stance against such operations.
Tansingco reinforced this position, stating, “This will serve as a warning to those who might attempt to start illegal online gambling operations, which has already been banned by the President.”
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