115 Chinese deported in POGO crackdown

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) deported 115 Chinese nationals arrested during separate operations against suspected illegal Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs) in Zamboanga Sibugay and Quezon City last month.

The deportees included 62 Chinese nationals apprehended in Zamboanga Sibugay and 53 others arrested in Cubao, Quezon City.

They were flown back to China on Friday, 6 November, aboard chartered China Southern Airlines flight CZ5308 from Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3.

The deportation followed the issuance of summary deportation orders by the BI Board of Commissioners.

Immigration Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado said the operation reflected the bureau's continuing crackdown on illegal POGO activities and other crimes involving foreign nationals.

Viado vowed to strengthen coordination with local and international law enforcement agencies to combat illegal offshore gaming operations, online scams and transnational crime.

The deportations followed October raids in which authorities arrested 244 foreigners in Zamboanga Sibugay and 76 others at a suspected POGO-linked facility in Cubao.