Eighteen foreign nationals and two Filipinos have been charged with human trafficking following their arrest at an illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) hub in Parañaque City last week.
According to PCol. Marlon Quimno, Director of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group-National Capital Region (CIDG-NCR), this is the first time a Filipino has been charged with a crime due to the proliferation of these scam hubs.
In an interview with the media at Camp Crame, Quimno stated that the two Filipinos are connected to the administrator of the raided POGO.
18 dayuhan, 2 Pinoy kinasuhan sa Parañque POGO hub
— DZRH NEWS (@dzrhnews) February 24, 2025
Ayon sa CIDG-NCR, ito ang unang beses na may nakasuhang Pilipino dahil sa umano’y human trafficking sa ilegal na POGO. | RH 52 @ednielparrosa, DZRH News pic.twitter.com/6AcqYebRuO
On Thursday, over 300 individuals were arrested after the Philippine Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) and the CIDG raided the A-T-I building, which is located just across from the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX).
As per Quimno, it was the building's owner who alerted authorities about the illegal activities occurring at the location.
However, he clarified that the building owner has not yet been cleared from crimes, as the PAOCC is still looking into the possibility of filing charges against them.
"They are not yet ‘yung sinasabi nating abswelto. All the person involved in this operations like for example those foreigners that has not been arrested, they were now subject for verification," Quimno stated.
