(Photo: PNP Cybercrime Group)

MANILA, (PIA) -- Senator Win Gatchalian reiterated his call for the Bureau of Immigration (BI) to implement more stringent measures to filter out foreign criminals entering the country to work for Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO), now known as Internet Gaming Licensees (IGL). 

“Sa tuwing may nare-raid na POGO, palaging mayroong natatagpuang puganteng wanted sa kani-kanilang mga bansa,” Gatchalian said. 

This holds true in the case of the raided Zun Yuan Technology Inc. in Bamban, Tarlac. A Taiwanese national was immediately identified as a wanted fugitive in his home country when the raid happened. Worse, authorities discovered that he had been transferred from another POGO hub in Pasay. 

Six more wanted foreign fugitives who had worked for Zun Yuan Tech were later identified, all of them Chinese.  

Aside from Chinese and other Asian nationals, many POGOs are now employing African nationals, Gatchalian said.

“They just move around. They’ve already slipped past our immigration and now they freely hop from one POGO company to another. These incidents with POGOs keep happening over and over again,” the lawmaker emphasized. 

“As gatekeepers, the BI should effectively repel criminal elements that are only bent on making our country an area of operation for illegal activities,” he added.

According to him, many POGOs, even those licensed by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR), are being used as fronts for various illegal activities including scamming activities that victimize both local and foreign nationals. (PIA-NCR)