More than 100 foreign nationals were arrested in an illegal online gambling hub in Cebu City on Saturday, August 31.
The Bureau of Immigration (BI) along with other agencies, conducted the raid in a resort in Lapu-Lapu City in Cebu, after the mission ordered by BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco against the 13 foreigners.
According to Commissioner Tansingco, the 13 illegal aliens were monitored to be overstaying and working without permits in the said location.
“During the raid, hundreds of foreign nationals were found to be engaging in illegal online gaming operations on makeshift work stations inside the resort premises,” the BI shared in a press release.
The raid was conducted in coordination with the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC), the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the Philippine Center on Transnational Crime (PCTC), and the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT). To assist possible trafficking victims, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) was also in attendance.
The arrested foreigners are subject to inquest proceedings and will be detained before deportation. Moreover, Tansingco mentioned that resort owners should also be held accountable and face charges for harboring illegal aliens in the area.
“We will suggest to the authorities to file cases against resort owners to allow their properties to be used by illegal aliens in their covert operations,” Tansingco said.
The BI Commissioner warned those who might attempt to start illegal online gambling operations in the country.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced the ban on online gambling operations in the country during his State of the Nation Address this year.
