Philippines: 2 arrested and 18 rescued in raid on gaming operation

Police carried out a raid on an illegal offshore operator in Zambales.

The Philippines.- Police have made 2 arrests for alleged human trafficking and rescued 18 Chinese nationals in a raid on an offshore gaming operator in Zambales. Officers seized 18 desktop computers, mobile phones, documents, bank cards, IDs, a safety vault and some large knives.

The search was witnessed by local officials and a representative from the Department of Social Welfare and Development. The seized evidence was passed to the custody of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) Intelligence Division.

Last week, the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) rescued 162 people who were allegedly being forced to work at an illegal offshore gaming operator in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu. Those rescued reportedly comprised 83 Chinese citizens, 70 Indonesians, two Taiwanese, six Burmese and a Malaysian.

PAGCOR to begin winding down offshore gaming operators next month

Alejandro Tengco, chairman and CEO of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), has announced that the process of winding down offshore gaming operators will start in October. During a public hearing of the Committee on Games and Amusement, he said the process will begin immediately after an executive order is issued by president Marcos.

Tengco said some gaming operators have already ceased operations. He said: “Two months after the State of the Nation Address (SONA), we have 46. Today, we only have 41. That means five of those that we cancelled were gone because of numerous violations.”

See also: Philippine senator urges strict enforcement of offshore gaming ban