THE National Bureau of Investigation-Southeastern Mindanao Regional Office (NBI-Semro) confirmed that a court issued a writ of habeas corpus for the foreign nationals arrested in a large-scale illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (Pogo) raid at a 1.5-hectare agricultural warehouse in New Malitbog, Barangay Manay, Panabo City, Davao del Norte. Conducted on December 6, 2024, the operation was the first of its kind in the region.
The writ of habeas corpus allows the 59 arrested individuals -55 Chinese nationals, three Malaysians, and one Filipino — to challenge their detention and be brought before a court to determine its legality.
NBI-Semro Director Atty. Archie Albao confirmed on March 31, 2025, that the court ruled they lacked the authority to detain the suspects, prompting the Bureau of Immigration (BI) to issue a release order.
"The court said we had no basis to detain them, and the Immigration office also issued a release order. I’m not sure of the reasons, but we were given a release order," Albao said.
The NBI had filed syndicated estafa charges related to cybercrime, but the court dismissed the case due to a lack of legal basis.
“We filed the case to temporarily hold them while we continued the investigation, but it was dismissed for lack of sufficient evidence,” he said.
Authorities have secured the confiscated items that were initially in the possession of the detained individuals, and these remain under investigation. The probe into the possible involvement of local officials in the illegal Pogo operation is ongoing.
The validity of documents tied to the case has also been questioned, as some arrested Chinese nationals lacked proper documentation. However, the NBI has verified their authentic identities as part of an ongoing investigation. A court-issued cyber warrant is in place, though cybercrime examination results are still pending.
Despite the case’s dismissal in December, the investigation remains active, and authorities are awaiting cybercrime examination results to determine if further charges can be filed.
Albao clarified that at the time of the raid, insufficient evidence and documentation prevented immediate arrests, leading to the suspects' temporary detention while investigations progressed. DEF