PNP monitors ‘guerilla-style’ POGO operations
AMID its success in smashing covert Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) hubs-turned ‘scam farms,’ the Philippine National Police (PNP) headed by General Rommel Francisco D. Marbil is not letting its guards down as rumors swirl POGOs may turn underground to engage in online scams and other criminal activities.
Gen. Marbil said he has ordered a close watch on banned POGO companies that may go underground and break into small groups now that they are completely prohibited from operating.
According to PNP spokesperson, Brigadier Gen. Jean S. Fajardo, the Commander-in-Chief has told the PNP to ensure that they will be fully monitoring and going after former POGO/Internet Gaming Licensees that may use legitimate Business Process Outsourcing or BPO companies as a ‘cover’ for their illicit business.
The PNP conducted a total of 16 operations against POGO hubs. Eleven of these operations were led by the PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, 4 by the National Capital Region Police Office and 1 by the Police Regional Office 7.
Those operations resulted in the arrest of 419 suspects who were all referred to the prosecutor’s office for arraignment. All accused are now undergoing trial.
The 2024 records also showed that police rescued 1,196 victims of raided POGO hubs. Majority of them have been deported to their mother countries.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has told the PNP top brass that there is a tendency that these POGOs may break into small groups and rent houses and apartments in gated subdivisions and small communities.
“He wants us to fully monitor these banned POGO operators with the help of local government units since he believes that POGOs won’t proliferate without the knowledge of LGUs,” said Brig. Gen. Fajardo.
The Commander-in-Chief also told the PNP leadership to keep pressure on guerrilla POGO operations to totally put them down knowing that successful anti-POGO operations by the police force and other government agencies were contributory factors in the reduction of cyber-related incidents in the country.
Gen. Marbil said they will be fully implementing President Marcos Jr.’s order completely banning all POGOs and all associated offshore gaming activities nationwide.
The PNP is also prepared to intensify law enforcement operations and collaborate closely with relevant government agencies to ensure the effective implementation of Executive Order No. 74 signed by the Chief Executive.
“This decisive measure is aligned with our commitment to enhancing national security, maintaining public order and protecting our communities from the adverse impacts linked to POGO operations, including rising crime rates, social instability, and the exploitation of vulnerable individuals,” the PNP said in a statement.
The official said their dedicated PNP Task Force Skimmer, which was specifically established to address POGO-related activities, “will spearhead efforts to dismantle illegal operations and ensure compliance with the Executive Order.”
The PNP leadership also mustered the support of the citizenry in their effort to fully implement the presidential directive.
The PNP and the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) are monitoring the presence of POGO companies believed to have gone underground and planning to transfer to remote parts of the country where they cannot be easily detected, the Journal Group learned.
He said that it is very possible that illegal POGO operators will be using their unscrupulous connections in the government and some law enforcement agencies anew to go underground in far-flung parts of The Philippines in the guise of building Information Technology-Business Process Outsourcing (IT-BPO) companies that will provide livelihood to local folks.
Another possibility is that guerrilla POGO operators will try to move their former employees to remote parts of the country where they could build POGO establishments like those discovered in some parts of Metro Manila and Pampanga, Tarlac and Cebu.
The monitoring was ordered even as Department of Interior and Local Government Secretary Juanito Victor C. Remulla said he will require all local chief executives, particularly governors and mayors, to report any possible resurgence of POGO activities in their areas following the total ban on their operations starting 2025.
The DILG chief admitted that illegal POGO activities may persist even after the December 15, 2024 deadline imposed by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. for the phaseout of all forms of offshore gaming activities nationwide.
