THE commander of Lapu-Lapu City Police Station 2 has been placed under administrative relief following the raid on an alleged scam hub operating inside a subdivision in Barangay Mactan.
Lapu-Lapu City Police Office (LCPO) Director Lt. Col. Dyan Agustin told reporters on Thursday, June 12, 2025, that the decision aims to ensure a fair and impartial investigation into the case.
“The relief is to clarify the issues, to find out what a certain police officer may be lacking, and for us to address it just in case there are others being monitored or we happen to monitor the same activities,” said Agustin.
While no formal charges will be filed against the station commander, the move was prompted by ongoing orders to monitor Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (Pogos) within assigned police jurisdictions.
Authorities are waiting for the results from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) 7, particularly data recovered from seized computers, to determine if the operation was a Pogo-like setup or a scam hub.
“There is no negligence. What we need is to find out if there were any lapses or shortcomings, whether on our part, the commander’s, or if I failed to give a proper reminder,” said Agustin.
The raid, conducted on June 4 in a private subdivision in Mactan, led to the arrest of 31 individuals, including two Taiwanese nationals, allegedly involved in a large-scale online scamming scheme targeting dating websites and applications.
The joint operation by the LCPO and NBI 7 uncovered over 20 Filipino workers who allegedly operated scams under the supervision of the two Taiwanese men, aged 31 and 41.
The arrested individuals violated Republic Act 10175, or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, specifically concerning computer-related fraud.
Agustin clarified that while the Mactan police chief is temporarily relieved from his station duties, he remains assigned to the LCPO headquarters. The officer will be reinstated once cleared through the investigation.
On Aug. 31, 2024, various authorities raided an alleged Pogo hub at the Tourist Garden Hotel in Barangay Agus, Lapu-Lapu City.
That operation was the first such discovery in the Visayas since the nationwide Pogo ban announced by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
The operation resulted in the arrest of over 160 foreign nationals, mainly from China, Indonesia, Myanmar and Malaysia, who were reportedly forced to engage in online scams such as love and investment fraud. Many had their passports confiscated and were held against their will.
The local government shut down the hotel and created a dedicated task force under outgoing Mayor Junard “Ahong” Chan’s Executive Order 2024-40 to crack down on establishments conducting illicit activities.
In September 2024, the chief of the Marigondon Police Station was relieved from her post for failing to monitor the presence of illegal Pogo activities in her area of jurisdiction.
In a separate interview, Chan said authorities are intensifying surveillance of additional suspected scam hubs in Lapu-Lapu City, including those possibly concealed within private subdivisions, to track down cybercrime.
He declined to provide further details to avoid compromising ongoing investigations. / DPC