THE Bureau of Immigration (BI) has arrested 76 foreign nationals in a suspected illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) facility in Quezon City, bringing the total number of apprehended foreigners in two major anti-POGO operations in less than two weeks to 320.
The latest raid, conducted on Oct. 12 in Barangay Socorro, Cubao, targeted a suspected POGO-linked facility allegedly used for online scamming activities. Those arrested included 74 Chinese and two Myanmar nationals.
BI Intelligence Division operatives, backed by the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ National Capital Region Command, carried out the operation.
BI Intelligence Division Chief Fortunato Manahan Jr. reported the arrests to Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado, saying the foreign nationals were allegedly engaged in online scamming when authorities entered the premises.
The operation followed a larger crackdown in Zamboanga Sibugay, where BI teams, supported by the National Bureau of Investigation and the AFP, apprehended 244 foreign nationals in simultaneous raids in the towns of Siay and Alicia.
The September operation, which the BI described as its biggest POGO-related bust of the year, netted 113 foreigners in Siay and another 131 in Alicia. Most were Chinese, while others came from Cambodia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Indonesia and Myanmar.
Authorities also seized a substantial cache of equipment at the Casa de Coco Pension House compound in Siay, including about 3,000 mobile phones, 78 computer monitors, laptops and SIM cards believed to have been used in online scams.
The BI said the arrested foreigners are being investigated for possible immigration violations, including working without the required visas, lacking proper documentation, and illegal entry.
Authorities are also looking into possible human trafficking-related violations in connection with the Mindanao raids, although any such offenses remain subject to investigation.
Viado vowed to sustain operations against illegal offshore gaming and other unlawful activities involving foreign nationals, citing the government’s policy of preventing the country from being used as a base for illicit operations.
The raids form part of the government’s campaign following Executive Order 74, series of 2024, which ordered an immediate ban on POGO operations, and Republic Act 12312, or the Anti-POGO Act of 2025, which prohibits offshore gaming operations and POGO sites in the country.
