The Bureau of Immigration arrested last week seven Koreans suspected to be running a mini-Philippine offshore gaming operator or POGO site, occupying two rooms in a condominium in Clark Freeport Zone in Angeles, Pampanga, the BI reported yesterday.
According to BI spokesperson Dana Sandoval, running smaller POGO units has been the trend since the government shut down their operations in compliance with the order of President Marcos.
‘Unlike before when POGOs hire 100 people for their operations, we are seeing them hiring only 10 or fewer workers and operating low-key so they would not be detected by authorities,’ Sandoval said.
BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado lauded the arrest, saying the bureau would continue its sustained and intensified operations against POGOs and POGO-like activities involving foreign nationals in the country.
‘The directive of the President is clear. We will not allow foreign nationals to continue online gaming activities in the Philippines. Those who insist on doing so will be arrested and deported,’ Viado said.
According to BI fugitive search unit chief Rendel Ryan Sy, the operation in Clark initially targeted only one South Korean who was reported to be operating in the area.
Instead, the BI agents, along with South Korean authorities and personnel from the Philippine Air Force and Clark Development Corp., stumbled on the seven Korean men who were manning workstations suspected to be connected to online gambling activities.
Sy said the small-scale illegal operation uses a betting platform linked to various sporting events worldwide.
Initial verification showed that one of the suspects, identified as Ha Dong Jun, has been on the BI wanted list since January for failing to leave the Philippines after a December 2024 deadline.
The seven Koreans were transferred to the BI facility in Taguig, where they will remain prior to deportation.