Philippine authorities raid alleged illegal gambling operation in Makati City
Some 131 people were arrested in the raid.
The Philippines.- The Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC), the Department of Justice Office of Cybercrime (DOJ-OOC) and the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) have raided an alleged offshore gaming operation in Makati City. They arrested 96 foreigners (58 Chinese, eight Japanese, 12 Taiwanese, two Vietnamese, one Mongolian, one St. Kitts & Nevis National, one Brazilian, and 13 Malaysians) and 35 Filipinos.
PNP-CIDG chief Nicolas Torre III said officials received information about an alleged online gaming operation at the Flying Future Services Office on the 21st floor of Yuchengco Tower 1, RCBC Plaza. Authorities seized electronic devices and documents.
The Filipinos arrested await complaints for violating the National Prosecution Service with violations of Republic Act (RA) 9208 (Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act), PD 1602 (Illegal Gambling), and RA 10175 (Cybercrime Prevention Act). They are temporarily detained at CIDG Southern District Field Unit. The foreign nationals are in the custody of PAOCC.
Among those arrested, Torre identified three Chinese suspects: “Guge,” the boss of Intech World Company; “Layson,” the boss of Omniach Company; and “Younger”, the boss of Urban Ideas, all sub-companies of Flying Future Services.
Philippine Bureau of Immigration calls for cooperation against human trafficking
The Bureau of Immigration (BI) has issued a statement calling for cooperation to tackle the number of Filipino trafficking victims departing the country illegally to work in scam operations.
The statement reads: “The BI has been actively strengthening border security measures, but the agency stresses the need for greater coordination with local authorities to prevent illegal departures through other routes.”
BI commissioner Joel Anthony Viado said three victims of human trafficking, two women and one man, returned to the country on March 16 from Phnom Penh, Cambodia. They flew back on a Philippine Airlines flight after being forced to work as love scammers. The victims sought help from the Philippine embassy after facing physical abuse and torture for more than two months. The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) is investigating their recruiters.
