The Las Pinas POGO raid
A source gave me a new twist on the story about the raid conducted by the Philippine National Police (PNP) against a number of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) establishments in Las Pinas recently.
But before that, allow me to refresh the raid incident using reports that came out in major dailies.
Reports said the PNP has filed criminal charges against five Chinese nationals before the Department of Justice in relation to the raid of seven POGOs establishments in Las Piñas City early last week.
PNP chief information officer Brig. Gen. Redrico Maranan said cases of human trafficking and violations of the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 were filed against Li Jiacheng, Xiao Liu, Yan Jiayong, Duan Haozhuan, and LP Hongkun.
Maranan said the police operation was legitimate and was carried out on orders of a competent court, following allegations of human rights violations in the June 27 operations against Xinchuang Network Technologies.
The raid led to the rescue of more than 2,700 alleged POGO workers, around 1,500 of them Filipinos while the rest are foreigners mostly from countries in Southeast Asia and the Middle East.
According to the police, the judge issued the warrants after personally examining the complainants and witnesses through a personal searching inquiry. The police added that the judge was convinced by the applicant and the pieces of evidence presented before her.
Based on existing laws, no search warrant shall be issued except when there is a probable cause,” the police said.
An additional 299 agents from the Anti-Cybercrime Group and the National Capital Region Police Office have been deployed for the continuous implementation of search warrants against Xinchuang.
All rescued Filipinos have been sent home while there are still 1,284 foreigners under custody for processing, like obtaining personal profiles, travel history, and status for documentation purposes prior to their turnover to their respective embassies, the police said.
The police added human rights officers ensure that the rescued victims are respected and protected at all times, while representatives from the Department of Social Welfare and Development provide food packs.
Now the twist.
The source said the police did not mention any information about the place where the raid was conducted.
The police also missed in identifying the owner of the place where the POGO establishments were operating.
Does the owner have any role in the operations of the raided shops?
If not, the owner should be questioned why such illegal business activities were allowed in his or her properties.
These are the questions the police should answer.
**
For comments, please call or text 09569012811 or email [email protected]
