Pasay POGO hub raid yields torture vids
Additional videos depict wounded men being forced to kneel, further underscoring the brutal treatment victims have endured.
Additional videos depict wounded men being forced to kneel, further underscoring the brutal treatment victims have endured.
A recent raid conducted by the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) at a dormitory housing Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) workers in Pasay City has led to the discovery of torture videos linked to scam operations.
PAOCC executive director Gilbert Cruz confirmed that authorities have recovered 12 videos from Chinese nationals arrested during the operation.
The footage, which was shown to the media, included graphic scenes of abuse, with one video depicting a bruised Chinese man being threatened at gunpoint while his hands were tied.
Cruz warned that scam operations are increasingly moving to jurisdictions with weaker law enforcement, revealing that 34 Indonesians rescued in the raid were scheduled to be transported out of the Philippines.
“They were headed to Cambodia because they see they can move more freely there. At least we were able to stop this,” Cruz stated.
The PAOCC chief also disclosed that one of the individuals seen in the videos, a Chinese national, had been rescued from a condominium unit in Pasay City after being abducted on 12 February.
During the rescue operation, authorities arrested two Chinese suspects and seized a uniform of the People’s Liberation Army.
Additional videos depict wounded men being forced to kneel, further underscoring the brutal treatment victims have endured.
Cruz noted that some of the individuals shown in the videos remain missing, and authorities are intensifying efforts to locate them.
The PAOCC is urging the public to report any suspicious activities linked to illegal POGO operations.
“At least let us know so we can investigate and pin down the alleged torturers and murderers we have in custody,” Cruz appealed.
Despite President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s order to shut down illegal POGOs, PAOCC continues to monitor over 100 operations that have refused to comply with the directive.
Authorities have observed that scam syndicates are adapting their methods, increasingly relying on laptops and Wi-Fi routers to make their activities more mobile and harder to trace.
The PAOCC vowed to intensify its crackdown on illegal POGO operations, emphasizing its commitment to dismantling criminal networks exploiting foreign workers and engaging in organized crime.
