PNP intensifies micro-scam hubs’ dismantling

The Philippine National Police (PNP) announced Thursday that it has recalibrated its intelligence and surveillance strategies to target small-scale scam operations after illegal offshore gaming operators began relocating to rented residential houses in Metro Manila.

PNP chief Police General Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said the tactical pivot aligns with directives from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla to enforce a total ban on Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) and prevent their reemergence under new disguises.

“We are recalibrating our police strategy from broad-scale raids to surgical, intelligence-driven operations utilizing cyber-surveillance, high-bandwidth usage tracking and community-level monitoring,” Nartatez said.

To recall, Remulla previously disclosed that law enforcement agencies are tracking three active “micro-scam hubs” operating within Metro Manila.

The decentralized operations reportedly function out of residential homes housing 10 to 20 workers — a contrast to the expansive, heavily guarded commercial compounds that previously held thousands of personnel.

The shift toward smaller hubs follows a 2 October police raid on a suspected scam facility in Zamboanga Sibugay, which led to the arrest and rescue of 244 foreign nationals, predominantly Chinese citizens.

“While the total ban on POGOs neutralized massive compounds, these micro hubs represent desperate attempts to evade detection — attempts that our intelligence networks will aggressively hunt down and neutralize,” Nartatez said.

Responding to reports that former police officers and military personnel were hired to provide security for the clandestine operations, Nartatez warned that active or former law enforcement personnel linked to the hubs face criminal prosecution.

“Any active or dismissed PNP personnel caught enabling or shielding these rogue outfits will face swift criminal prosecution and total institutional purge,” Nartatez added.