The country’s anti-crime agency has suspended its operations against illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) after contagious diseases were detected among hundreds of detained workers.

In a statement, Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) executive director Gilbert Cruz disclosed that about 700 former POGO employees remain at their temporary detention center in Pasay City.

Recent medical examinations revealed that 66 of these individuals tested positive for HIV, syphilis and hepatitis.

“Some of the arrested POGO workers we checked are sick,” Cruz said in a radio interview. “In our latest testing, 66 tested positive for HIV, syphilis, and hepatitis. These are contagious diseases.”

Cruz added that the PAOCC was forced to temporarily halt its operations due to overcrowding and a “mini pandemic of lung infections” within their facility.

“For almost two months, we did not operate because a lot of them are sick. There was a mini pandemic of lung infections in our facility,” Cruz said. “We needed to stop adding people and first focus on treating those who are ill. Some have recovered. Maybe later, we can resume our normal operations.”

During a House Quad Committee hearing on Monday, Cruz also cited that more than 9,000 former POGO workers remain at large in the Philippines.

“They are at large, and we don’t know their activities. They may be spreading diseases instead of seeking treatment,” Cruz said. “There should be immediate action against this, and if they need to be deported, we should deport them so they would not infect our own citizens.”