Over the years, Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs), or online gambling firms based in the country, have gained notoriety for their links to heinous crimes the likes of human trafficking and prostitution. The introduction of such characters as the ill-famed, former Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo into the political spotlight thrust POGOs and the “host of evils” it has fostered into the forefront of 2024 politics.
Read on for a recap of a years-long story peeling back layer upon layer of deception to reveal deep-seated corruption, and the unchecked crime it has borne.
An end to gaming operators turned crime syndicates
During an ocular inspection of the Smart Web Technology POGO hub in Pasay City in November, Senators Sherwin Gatchalian and Risa Hontiveros were shown shock sticks, or metal batons which administer electricity, in a room lined with handcuffs affixed to a bloodstained wall. Baseball bats and dried pools of blood were also sighted in what is believed to be a torture chamber.
An investigation of the Lucky South 99 POGO hub in Porac, Pampanga yielded drugs, suspected torture implements such as baseball bats and retractable metal rods, and even a Chinese national handcuffed to a bedframe. In Gatchalian’s June ocular, baseball bats and dried pools of blood were also sighted in what is believed to be a torture chamber.
Some torture victims reportedly die; videos suggesting this have been viewed from one confiscated phone.
A rack of costumes and a sex doll lying on a bed were revealed in what is presumed to be a prostitution chamber in the same facility. Phones, registered SIM cards, computers and “scripts” used in love scams were also found.
It is no wonder the President was given a standing ovation following his vehement denunciation of POGOs in his third State of the Nation Address in June.
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s order to cease POGO operations by the end of the year prompted a series of POGO hub raids carried out by the Philippine National Police - Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) and the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) across Metro Manila and beyond, and the deportation of hundreds of foreign POGO workers (mainly Chinese nationals) with about 20,000 set to leave the country by December 31.
On November 8, Marcos signed Executive Order No. 74, reinforcing his directive for a total POGO ban, whether licensed or not.
Moreover, dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo, or confirmed Chinese national Guo Hua Ping, Cassandra Li Ong, and 32 others have been put behind bars for their involvement in POGO operations. Even well-known personalities such as former Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque have been implicated.
In a defining move, authorities padlocked the largest POGO hub in the country, located in Island Cove, Kawit Cavite on December 17.
Meanwhile, agencies such as the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) have prepared for the fallout of pulling the plug on a lucrative, job-rich industry—the Department of Finance (DOF) has pinned POGO’s economic shares at over ₱99 billion.
The labor department has profiled more than 27,000 former Filipino POGO workers in specialized job fairs initiated to put a displaced workforce of upwards of 40,000 individuals in other suitable appointments. The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA), and the Department of Social Welfare and Development have also stepped in to offer their assistance.
As the country welcomes a new year, PNP Chief PGEN Rommel Marbil assured the Filipino people will witness the iron hand of the national police.
Alice Guo: Senate soap opera focus
Alice Guo, a name previously unheard-of, became the talk of the town beginning May after she claimed before the Senate that she was raised and homeschooled in a hidden farm.
Formerly engaged in illicit activities executed by as many as 600 workers, the Zun Yuan Technology Inc. compound stands just behind the Bamban Municipal Hall. How it had apparently managed operations right under Bamban officials’ noses puzzled the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG).
That is, until it was found that Guo was among the incorporators of real estate firm Baofu Land Development Inc., which had leased its property to Hongsheng Gaming Technology Inc. and Zun Yuan Technology Inc.
The explosive controversy escalated further with probe findings uncovering the Zun Yuan POGO’s abhorrent practices, which include human trafficking, illegal detention, and fraud.
Guo firmly maintained both her ignorance of the POGO operations and her Filipino identity, despite damning evidence after damning evidence: the POGO hub’s electricity bills were found under Guo’s name, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) confirmed Guo’s fingerprints matched with those of Chinese passport-holder Guo Hua Ping, and so on.
Senators chipped away at her mask as they probed her wealth and properties through her statement of assets, liabilities, and net worth. Soon, Guo had a considerable number of charges stacked against her, and the Ombudsman discharged her from the Bamban mayoral seat.
Guo, purportedly “traumatized” from being subject to intense scrutiny, refused to attend the following hearings in July.
It turned out she had fled the country around July 19, according to Senator Risa Hontiveros. Guo was accompanied by her siblings Shiela and Wesley Guo. It did not take long, however, for the International Criminal Police Organization or INTERPOL to catch her. She was promptly deported from Indonesia back to the Philippines, where she was clapped in irons pursuant to the arrest warrant issued by the Pasig court for her qualified human trafficking case.
Investigations continued, now also seeking to uncover the avenue for Guo’s escape and the alleged death threat she had supposedly attempted to run from. Guo and Shiela claimed they fled by boat, although some officials suspect they had slipped past immigration and left via plane.
Just a month after her arrest, Guo’s lawyer announced her intention to run for Bamban mayor again. The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) responded, however, that it could disqualify candidates who have been previously dismissed by the Ombudsman.
The hearings concerning Guo and POGOs have been nothing short of sensational, reminiscent of local soap operas in their intensity and dramatic turns. Nonetheless, Guo’s story may feel open-ended as it continues to linger in the public consciousness.
