A TOTAL of 187 Chinese who were arrested in the crackdown against Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs) have been deported, the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (Paocc) said Friday.
In a phone interview with reporters, Paocc Executive Director Undersecretary Gilbert Cruz said these foreigners were deported via a flight to Shanghai from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport at 12:10 p.m. Thursday.
Cruz said the Chinese were apprehended by Paocc operatives in the past months during raids of POGO hubs, including in Lapu-Lapu City in Cebu, Bamban and Porac towns in Tarlac, and Metro Manila.
HOMEWARD BOUND Chinese workers arrested in POGO hubs in Bamban, Tarlac; Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu; and Clark, Pampanga, board buses that will take them to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport back to their country on Dec. 5, 2024. PHOTO BY RENE H. DILAN
“If you are a foreigner, you have to present your documents, passport. When they were arrested, they were not able to present any. They are undesirable aliens. Their offense is violation of immigration laws, so they are subject to deportation,” he said.
Cruz said the deportation was coordinated with the Chinese Embassy in Manila.
“They are not considered as victims. They are all considered as POGO operators, criminals, operators of scamming hubs,” he said.
“When they (187) arrive in China, it is up to them to prove they are victims. Since China is against illegal gambling and scamming, it’s automatic they will be detained.”
POGOs in the country must cease operations by Dec. 31, under Executive Order 74 signed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. last month.
The directive orders a total ban on Philippine offshore gaming, internet gaming, and other offshore gaming operations in the country.
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