The Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (Paocc) has ordered the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) to seek the freezing of the assets from the raided Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (Pogo) hub in Tourist Garden Hotel in Barangay Agus, Lapu-Lapu City.
The memorandum was signed by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, who also chairs Paocc, on Sept. 4, 2024, directing AMLC executive director Matthew David to apply with the appropriate court for the issuance of a freeze order or provisional asset preservation order covering all assets of the illegal Internet Gaming Licensee (IGL).
The memorandum said that subject to a factual determination by the AMLC, the assets may include, but are not limited to, the whole premises where the illegal Pogo hub is operating with 13 buildings and the 12 vehicles parked within the hotel, deemed utilized by the illegal Pogo hub.
The Pogo hub was discovered by authorities last Aug. 31 following the operation to rescue several Indonesian nationals who were allegedly held against their will in the compound.
Some 169 foreigners were detained following the raid at the suspected Pogo site. They were charged with being undocumented and working in the country without a visa.
Of the number, 16 foreigners and a Filipino faced additional charges of human trafficking for their alleged involvement in illegal Pogo activities.
The foreigners were already transported to Manila, where they will face the charges and deportation proceedings.
Additional evidence
On Thursday, Sept. 5, the National Bureau of Investigation 7 served two search warrants in the selected establishments inside the Tourist Garden Hotel compound where the foreigners were believed to be operating the illegal Pogo activities.
Rennan Augustus Oliva, NBI 7 director, told SunStar Cebu that the Regional Trial Court of Lapu-Lapu issued two search warrants to gather additional evidence to support prior cases filed.
Of the 13 establishments, two buildings underwent the search warrant and were identified as buildings three and five.
Among the initial items marked down for evidence are computers, cell phones, documents, and a vault that is claimed to have the missing documents or passports of foreign nationals, among others.
“The purpose of our warrant is to seize evidence in support of the original case we filed for qualified trafficking in persons as well as additional cases to be filed,” said Oliva.
Oliva stressed that other evidence gathered will be used in additional cases that the officials filed against the 16 foreign nationals and one Filipino, who were earlier charged with human trafficking for their alleged involvement in the Pogo hub.
The evidence will be scheduled to be opened on another date together with authorities from the court and barangay officials, while the contents of the computers will be subject to examination through a warrant to disclose computer data, he added.
“Other evidence that will be seized here can be used in additional cases that we will be filing, like cryptocurrency scams, love scams, investment scams, and gambling that will be additional cases to be filed against the perpetrators,” said Oliva.
The additional evidence will also strengthen the case that they will file on money laundering against the foreign suspects.
Aside from the establishments in the hotel resort, 12 vehicles were also under the provisional asset preservation order, which is also essential to the investigation.
Arnel Pura, supervising agent of the NBI Cebu District Office, said that each vehicle was checked by the NBI officials whose registered owners were mostly Chinese listed in the Land Transportation Office records.
Relieved
Meanwhile, the police chief of Marigondon Police Station in Lapu-Lapu City was relieved from her post for failing to monitor the presence of illegal Pogo activities in her area of jurisdiction.
This was confirmed by Lt. Col. Christian Torres, Lapu-Lapu City Police Office spokesman, to SunStar Cebu on Thursday, Sept. 5, but they have yet to get the relief order of Maj. Judith Besas from the Police Regional Office (PRO) 7.
“Mao nay (mandate) sa Philippine National Police, kon dunay mahitabo sa atong area of responsibility automatically i-relieve ang hepe to shed light, tan-awon kung duna ba’y lapses nganong nakalusot nang mga ingon ana or naay krimen nga nahitabo kinahanglan nato nga conductan sa og investigation. Kung naa ba’y lapses ang concurrent nga chief of police,” Torres said.
(That’s how it works in the Philippine National Police, that if something happens in our area of responsibility, the chief will be automatically relieved to shed light, to see if there are any lapses on why things like that have slipped through, or if a crime has happened. We have to investigate to find out if there are any lapses by the concurrent chief of police.)
Torres said that there would be an investigation as to why Besas failed to detect the illegal operations taking place in the hotel resort in Barangay Agus.
Once it is established through evidence that the police official has lapses in performing her duty, she could face administrative charges. Otherwise, her name would be cleared.