By AARON RECUENCO
Police arrested 56 foreigners for alleged illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator operations in a raid in Makati City last Tuesday.
Police Major Gen. Debold Sinas, director of the National Capital Region Police Office, hinted that the suspects were violating the enhanced community quarantine rules, specifically on physical distancing.
“We would like to reiterate our plea for cooperation to all the people in Metro Manila, including our foreign friends who are staying here, to please observe due compliance with all existing laws especially the further ECQ protocols,” said Sinas.
Sinas said the raid in a condo unit in Barangay Olympia was based on the intelligence report that a group of Chinese were gathering in the area.
Seized during the operation were several laptops and cellular phones which Sinas said were being used for illegal POGO operations.
POGO caters to online gamblers based in China. Online gambling is illegal in China but the operation is being allowed in the Philippines allegedly due to the multi-billion revenues through paid taxes.
Several government officials, however, accused some POGOs of not paying taxes to the Philippine government.
POGO operations in the country also resulted into the steep increase in kidnapping-for-ransom and extortion cases.
Sinas said the suspects were taken to Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City and will be slapped with appropriate criminal charges.
