PSEUDO call center offices continue to operate in the country despite an intensified government campaign against human trafficking syndicates, senators were told yesterday as an official from the Department of Justice (DOJ) reported that 650 individuals were rescued Tuesday night when combined government agents swooped down on a suspected “scam hub” in Pasay City.
Justice Undersecretary Nicholas Felix Ty told the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations, and Gender Equality that the individuals were comprised of 464 Filipino and 186 foreign workers.
The committee, which is chaired by Sen. Risa Hontiveros, held its 5th hearing into the continued human trafficking activities of syndicates throughout the country.
Ty said the workers were working on “numerous digital platforms” when law enforcement agents and barangay security enforcers served eight search warrants on the premises of the Rivendell Gaming Corporation Inc. which is located at 2741 Zamora Street corner Gaitos Street in Pasay City.
The raid was covered by eight search warrants issued by Judge Maria Victoria Soriano-Villadolid of the Manila Regional Trail Court Branch 24 for violation of the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.
Ty said one of the rescued employees was a female Filipino worker who was earlier rescued by the Philippine government from a scam hub operating in Myanmar. He did not name her.
The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) said Rivendell Gaming Corp. is a registered customer service provider, which Hontiveros said bolstered suspicions that legitimate companies are being used as a cover for illegal businesses in the country.
A report submitted to the Senate panel showed that Rivendell was engaged in illegal online activities such as “love scams” and crypto currency scam, online games manipulation, and online investments fraud, among others.
The report likewise described the hub as having several sections operating in the second, third, fourth, and fifth floors of the building where employees scour various social media profiles, send out various marketing ads, hire potential employees, and operate the love and crypto currency modus.
Ty said several confiscated mobile phones that were supposedly being used in firm’s illegal transactions were still accepting payments from their unsuspecting victims when the raid was conducted.
Ty said the raided scam hub “operated with an identical operating procedure” as the raided POGO hub in Sun Valley Corporation in Clark Freeport, Pampanga.
“They had the same character development manual as well as incentive mechanism. The only difference was the absence of a detention and punishment facility given that the scammers are allowed to regularly go home,” he said during the hearing.
Hontiveros said law enforcement agencies should step its operations against the scam hubs operating in the country since legitimate companies are being used as cover for these illegal activities.
Hontiveros said that while police operations in Sun Valley Corporation in Clark Freeport, Pampanga last May were commendable as 919 foreigners and 171 Filipino employees were rescued, the operation last June 27 at the Xinchuang Technologies Inc. in Las Piñas raised questions that need “clarification.”
For one, Hontiveros said a review of a video clip provided to the committee showed police operatives pried open the company’s vault without any witnesses.
She said there were also gunshots heard in the video clip, there was lack of coordination between the PNP Anti- Cybercrime Group and the Inter Agency Council Against Trafficking, and the status of “rescued” workers have not been submitted.
Likewise, she questioned how the ring leaders were able to escape from the operation.
“These incidents impede effective prosecution of traffickers and leave our trafficking victims even more vulnerable. Even worse, they have a deep impact on the trust between our police force and the community that they are sworn to serve and protect,” Hontiveros said.
Brig. Gen. Sydney Hernia, PNP-ACG director, said the police followed proper procedures for the operation, including making the proper coordination with the IACAT.
Ty, however, said the PNP-ACG made an “improper coordination” since the coordination was made a little late for the scheduled operation in Las Piñas.
At the same time, Hernia admitted that top honchos of the POGO company in Las Piñas were not arrested during the raid since there was a “leak” of information before the actual raid.
