The Bureau of Immigration (BI) said it has started the deportation process for 29 foreign nationals arrested for their involvement in an illicit online gambling operation.

BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado confirmed the arrest of the foreign workers, who were apprehended Wednesday afternoon during a raid at a private resort and event venue in Silang, Cavite.

Viado stated that the operation was led by members of the BI Anti-Terrorist Group (BI-ATG) and BI Fugitive Search Unit (BI-FSU), in collaboration with the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) and the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC).

He added that prosecutors from the BI legal division had been directed to conduct a preliminary inquiry into the 29 aliens, which include 23 Chinese nationals and 6 from Myanmar.

"The BI board of commissioners will then charge the aliens with immigration violations and issue orders for their deportation and inclusion in our blacklist, effectively prohibiting them from re-entering the country," Viado said.

Viado explained that the arresting team discovered the illegal POGO workers while conducting an operation to apprehend a Chinese fugitive believed to be hiding at the resort. However, the fugitive was not present during the raid.

"After the BI received an intelligence report that the subject Chinese fugitive was at the resort where illegal POGO activities have been reported, I issued a mission order for the operation," Viado said.

Reports indicate that the foreign nationals were caught in the act, using several PC workstations for their online gaming operations.

Viado clarified that while the PAOCC will maintain physical custody of the arrested individuals, the BI will have legal custody due to ongoing deportation proceedings. The bureau is also considering filing charges of harboring illegal aliens against the resort’s renters or operators.

"If we find that they knowingly sheltered these illegal aliens, they will face prosecution under Philippine immigration law," Viado warned.

Under Section 46 of the Philippine Immigration Act of 1940, harboring illegal aliens is prohibited, and violators may face up to 10 years in prison.