The Philippine Senate emphasizes the necessity of prohibiting offshore operators.
Following a successful operation led by the Presidential Anti-Organised Crime Commission (PAOCC) and the Department of Justice, 731 workers have been freed from a building in Pasay City on Williams Street during a recent raid.
The majority of them were of Chinese nationality, accompanied by seven Filipinos and additional international laborers.
Working under various aliases
The action began when Judge Maricris Pahate-Felix issued a search warrant against Caic and Tein, operators of Makati Regional Trial Court Branch 35.
One of the POGO companies, named Smart Web, had their licenses taken away by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR). It was later found out that the company was still operating under a different name and providing services to customers.
The company also obtained a new PAGCOR IGL, which is a license for offshore gaming companies accredited or licensed to operate in the Philippines.
PAOCC found that PAGCOR employees did not adequately evaluate the area in question due to interference from site guards during the inspection.
Senator Joel Villanueva expressed interest in understanding how the companies in question were able to continue operating despite their permits being revoked. He proposed implementing a complete prohibition on businesses with connections to illegal activities.
Sherwin Gatchalian, the chair of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means, proposed that POGOS be expelled from the Philippines without delay. He also condemned the reported connections between the gambling industry and sex trafficking and sex slavery.
Gatchalian also stated that PAGCOR did not effectively monitor the industry and that completely prohibiting the trade would be the only effective solution to put an end to the illegal activities associated with it.
According to police records, there were more than 4,000 cases of POGO-related offenses, such as human trafficking and kidnapping, reported in the first six months of 2023. In addition, 41,000 individuals were arrested for participating in illegal gambling out of a total of 50,000 police operations nationwide in the Philippines during that same time frame.
Possible rewording:
– “Potential Criminal Charges and Revocation of License on the Horizon”
– “Upcoming Criminal Charges and Possible License Revocation”
– “Anticipated Criminal Charges and License Revocation in the Future”
Based on a statement from PAOCC, due to the overwhelming evidence of sex trafficking on the mentioned site, the next phase of action will involve conducting an in-person investigation and hearing in order to file criminal charges.
While conducting a search on the independent operation, two Chinese men, identified as S.N. (27) and L.H.Y. (22), contacted government officials and stated that they were being held against their wishes at the location. Additionally, the men presented evidence of physical abuse on their bodies to the authorities.
According to S.N., he was reportedly abducted and traded for PHP500,000 ($10,000) five months ago by a different POGO operation. L.H.Y. stated that he was being forcibly detained for more than a year and compelled to work for 15 hours daily.
The 731 employees were saved from the second level of the structure, where they were discovered in a massage parlor featuring an aquarium-like viewing area.
Six individuals were apprehended by the authorities during the operation on charges related to human trafficking and torture.
PAOCC has recommended the revocation of Smart Web Technology Corp.’s temporary license as an IGL operator due to their involvement in human trafficking at their facility.
The structure, along with the other possessions owned by Smart Web, will also be subject to freezing and potentially seized as they are considered “illegally acquired.”
In August, the country’s police declared a countrywide effort to stop illegal cockfighting gambling, resulting in the arrest of 1,245 people.
In July, PAGCOR revealed its plan to crack down on offshore companies offering gaming services that are linked to human trafficking and cryptocurrency fraud. This was carried out through a raid on a suspicious business located in Las Piñas City in Metro Manila.
