MANILA – The Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) revealed on Tuesday that it is targeting more than 100 small illegal gambling operators across the country.
This comes after large-scale Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations (POGO) fragmented into smaller, harder-to-trace units.
These operations are spread across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, according to PAOCC spokesperson Winston Casio.
“‘Yung mga dati na daan-daan, libu-libo ang mga empleyado, they have disintegrated into smaller units kaya mas lalo silang dumami,” Casio said in an interview with state television PTV.
He emphasized that these smaller units have gone underground, making it more difficult for authorities to track them down.
“Ang hamon talaga ay napakaraming nag-underground.
There are a good number of them and we’re having difficulty catching up,” he added, while also expressing gratitude to local government units (LGUs) and other government agencies for their assistance in the crackdown.
Casio further disclosed that the agency is keeping a close watch on Chinese and Malaysian-Chinese nationals suspected of financing these illegal gambling operations.
“May lead tayo, kasalukuyan natin silang binabantayan at nagde-develop lang tayo ng kasong sapat para mag-apply ng search warrant, mission orders para sila ay masakote at madakip natin,” Casio stated, adding that arrests are expected in the coming days or weeks.
He also issued a stern warning to Filipino property owners, urging them to report any suspicious activities in their rented units.
“Make sure that you do your due diligence kasi kapag napatunayan namin na hinayaan ninyo magamit ang inyong facilities sa ilegala na aktibidades, ipapasara namin kayo,” he said.
“Kami ay magfafile ng civil forfeiture para makuha ng gobyerno ang inyong mga property.”
In addition, Casio revealed that the PAOCC is monitoring Filipino groups attempting to take over the scamming operations left by international POGO operators.