Military uniforms, SIM cards, and torture devices found at raided POGO hub in Porac

Chinese military uniforms, multiple boxes of pre-registered and unused SIM cards, and torture devices were found on Monday at the Lucky South 99 Corp., a raided Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) hub in Porac, Pampanga.

The hub is allegedly involved in several illegal activities.

The House of Representatives, with the assistance of the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) and other authorities, initiated the ocular inspection as part of its ongoing investigation of the criminal activities associated with POGOs.

Speaker Martin Romualdez, who led the search operation, issued a stern warning that those who are accountable for the illicit activities in the POGO hubs “will have to face the law.”

"That's why we're all here so we don't just see it in the video. [Now], we see for ourselves what is really going on here. We are surprised here because what we have seen here is very, very offensive," Romuadez said in Filipino. 

“We have seen scam farms, love scams, human trafficking, prostitution, and illegal pornography here. A lot of awful things happen. [They] used a legitimate operation as front,” he added.

Romualdez, along with several House leaders, inspected the 10-hectare Royal Thai Court, which houses Lucky South 99, as part of the government’s efforts to ensure the total shutdown of all POGO operations in compliance with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s marching order.

The Royal Thai Court, which has 46 buildings, was raided by the PAOCC earlier in June.

The Lucky South 99 was first ordered closed in September 2022, during which 42 foreigners—who were reportedly being coerced to work in the company—were rescued. The foreign nationals were reported to be subject to torture and other human rights abuses.

On 4 June, it was raided anew by the PAOCC over its alleged link in various internet-based scams.

PAOCC spokesperson Winston Casio is keen that POGO operations had a correlation with the proliferation of text scams.

“Since the president banned [the POGOs] , the number of text scams we receive has dropped significantly,” he told reporters following the inspection at Lucky South 99.

The House delegation also inspected the POGO hub in Bamban, Tarlac, operated by Zun Yuan-Ti, and the warehouse of Empire 999 Realty Corp. in Mexico, Pampanga, where P3.6 billion worth of shabu was seized by authorities in September last year.

A joint inquiry by the House Committees on Public Order and Safety and on Games and Amusements recently revealed a complex network of Chinese nationals, including businessman and former presidential adviser Michael Yang, involved in illegal POGOs and drug trafficking.

Romualdez highlighted that the POGO industry and its associated illegal activities flourished during the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte.

“During the previous administration, the industry was established and grew. Congress came up with a law so that it would be regulated for the purpose of collecting taxes. But now, we see an increase in illegal activities that use it as a front," the Speaker said.

Romualdez guaranteed the House leadership would work closely with the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation to reinforce Marcos’ order to wind down all POGOs by the end of the year.