A SUSPECTED Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (Pogo) may have evaded the monitoring of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) 7 after one was found to have moved to another area.
NBI 7 Director Rennan Augustus Oliva told reporters on Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024, that authorities are continuously monitoring possible Pogo operations in the cities of Cebu, Lapu-Lapu and Cebu Province.
“Unfortunately, one of the targets has gone negative… It is expected that they do not stay in one area for a certain period of time. Just like in our previous operation, they move from one place to another,” said Oliva.
Oliva noted that the modus operandi is similar to the Lapu-Lapu Pogo case, where the operators reportedly transferred four times to locations in Metro Cebu, Mandaue, and Lapu-Lapu.
He further stressed that these individuals leaving the area is “indicative of guilt” and suggested that illegal activities are being conducted, despite President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s order to ban all Pogos in the country.
“We are still monitoring based on the information our office receives. After our raid in Lapu-Lapu, we were inundated with information about possible Pogo operations. We need to verify each one individually, which takes time,” Oliva said.
Cebu City
Cebu City Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia stated that upon hearing about the Pogo operations, he immediately coordinated with the NBI, Philippine National Police and the Business Permits and Licensing Office to monitor establishments within the city closely.
Garcia mentioned that during previous investigations, when they reached establishments where suspected Pogo activities were reported, the rooms would often be empty.
“We are not letting our guard down; we are still closely monitoring these establishments that have Pogo-like activities,” he said.
However, he could not disclose any clues about which establishments they are monitoring.
Support
Agents are requesting support from their counterparts and the multi-agency task force that conducted the raid in Lapu-Lapu to monitor the four suspected scam hubs.
On Aug. 31, a composite team from the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission, Bureau of Immigration (BI) and NBI, among others, raided a hotel compound in Barangay Agus, Lapu-Lapu City, leading to the arrest of over 169 Asian nationals.
Among the items seized during a search warrant served on Sept. 5 were hundreds of computers, cellular phones, three vaults, and various documents from the working stations.
Inside one of the vaults, agents recovered three Indonesian passports belonging to Ahmad Nuzulun Nur Rohim, Robinson and Fahmi.
According to the BI report, these male Indonesian nationals have no travel records indicating departure from the country.
Based on immigration records, Rohim had five travel entries between Oct. 31, 2022 and May 22, 2024, with the most recent trip being from Jakarta, Indonesia to Manila, Philippines.
The same records show that Fahmi arrived in Manila from Jakarta on April 3, 2024, while Robinson arrived from Hong Kong on March 28, 2024.
Oliva noted that traffickers often confiscate the passports of their victims to prevent them from leaving the country.
“There’s a possibility that these three Indonesian nationals we are looking for are still working in another Pogo establishment or scam hub — not necessarily in our area, but in other parts of the country,” said Oliva.
Petitions
He urged the public to report any information regarding the three Indonesian nationals to the NBI to assist in their rescue.
Meanwhile, the motion to quash the complaint filed by the accused, Zhao Shouqi and Zhao Long, was denied by the Regional Trial Court Branch 73 in Lapu-Lapu due to lack of jurisdiction, Oliva said.
He added that the motions to quash filed by other arrested foreign nationals were also denied.
The joint order also outlines the arraignment scheduled for Nov. 4 against the Zhaos and 15 individuals charged with qualified trafficking in persons.
At the same, the court also denied the motion of Lenny Jane Kano, registered owner of a vehicle parked inside the hotel, for the release of the vehicle.
The court said the vehicle cannot be released yet since the case is still ongoing.
The court also granted a motion for an ocular inspection of the premises of the Tourist Garden Hotel in Barangay Agus, Lapu-Lapu City, on Nov. 11 at 9:30 a.m. / DPC, JPS