PAOCC 
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PAOCC tells AMLC to freeze Porac hub assets

PAOCC also told DOJ, BI to deport 156 foreigners apprehended in hub raid

Tiziana Celine Piatos

The Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) directed the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) on Thursday to freeze the assets of Lucky South 99 and other Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations (POGOs) in Porac, Pampanga.

PAOCC, likewise, told both the Department of Justice and the Bureau of Immigration to deport 156 foreign nationals apprehended in the raided POGO hub in Porac.

In a memorandum dated 20 June, PAOCC chairperson and Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin told AMLC Executive Director Matthew M. David to apply for a Freeze Order or a Provisional Asset Preservation Order from the appropriate court.

"The application shall cover all assets within the compound where Lucky South 99 Corp. is situated that are linked to unlawful activity as defined by R.A. No. 9160, as amended," Bersamin told David in the memorandum.

Bersamin added the AMLC shall determine, based on the evidence, the specific assets that will be included in the said application.

He added these assets may include but are not limited to the whole compound where Lucky South 99 Corp. is located (46 buildings), and the vehicles parked within the vicinity of the compound.

Moreover, PAOCC directed Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla and BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco to implement the swift deportation of 156 foreign nationals apprehended during the operation.

"The DOJ and BI are hereby directed to facilitate the summary deportation of the foreign nationals apprehended and subsequently transferred to the temporary detention facility in NASDAKE building located at 50 Williams St. Corner FB Harrison St., Pasay City, and blacklist said individuals to bar their re-entry into the Philippines subject to applicable laws, rules, and regulations," Bersamin said in a separate letter.

For context, the police found videos of people being abused inside the Lucky South 99 compound. In one footage, a male foreigner was hit over and over in the head and body with a retractable baton.

In a different video, a man held a woman against her will while another man repeatedly hit her bare legs.

The PAOCC said earlier that Lucky South 99 Corp. does not have a license to operate.

According to the PAOCC, 18 sets of Chinese military outfits were found at the Porac POGO hub last Friday. The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) previously said the uniforms might have been just used in illegal online deals.