Brandishing a new search warrant, the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) resumed a raid on a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) hub in Porac, Pampanga on Saturday with the surprise element taken out of the operation. 

In a radio interview, Undersecretary Gilbert Cruz of PAOCC said the authorities received the new search warrant against the 10-hectare and 46-building POGO compound on Friday.

“It was already dark last night so we just decided to resume today,” he said. 

Cruz said they were looking for more victims of abduction who may still need to be rescued from the POGO hub. 

“I’m thinking, someone may still need help because on the first day of the raid, people ran away and left those who were handcuffed and behind their supposed captives. So, that’s what we’re looking for,” he said. 

6 June operations

In a raid on 6 June, operatives rescued a Chinese man from a locked building inside the POGO firm Lucky South 99.

The Philippine National Police disclosed that the hub had been illegally operating since late last year until it was raided on 4 June.

Authorities continue to probe how this POGO hub was able to operate without a license.

Meanwhile, PAOCC spokesperson Winston John Casio said PAOCC chairperson Executive Secretary Lucas P. Bersamin is keen to eliminate the illegal gaming operations in the country. 

“Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin has been very adamant in ordering, mandating the Secretariat of PAOCC to always be on the lookout for possible violations committed by these illegal POGO hubs,” he said in a television interview over the weekend. 

“He always tells us that if POGO is illegal or committing crimes, we should not hesitate to consult other law enforcement agencies for it to be closed,” he added. 

Last week, PAOCC reported that approximately 100 with canceled licenses are still operating.  

Casio earlier noted that PAOCC already sought the assistance of law enforcement authorities including the PNP, the National Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Justice, the Bureau of Immigration, the Anti-Money Laundering Council and even the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation to “combat” illegal POGO operations.