A CHINESE businessman who operates an establishment in Pasig City raided by the National Capital Regional Police Office (NCRPO) and Bureau of Immigration (BI) last Sept. 11 yesterday denied being involved in illegal online gambling, saying his company operates a crypto-currency business that is legitimate and legal in the Philippines.
In a letter to Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente dated Sept. 16, Xingfeng Ou, chief operations officer of Grapefruit Service Inc. at the 37th floor of One Corporate Center on Julia Vargas Ave., Barangay San Antonio, Pasig City, said the company is not a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) and not in any way involved in online gambling activities.
He said the company is a financial technology solutions involved in offshore virtual currency exchange service and has the authority to do business “as a qualified Cagayan Special Economic Zone and Freeport Enterprise” under Certificate of Registration CSEZFP Enterprise No. CF-426.
“GSI is the authorized service provider of Golden Millenial Quickpay Inc. Limited, as such, it may perform business at One Corporate Center which is a CEZA accredited building,” Xingfeng said.
Combined police and immigration agents swooped down on the establishment and arrested three Chinese men wanted in their country for economic crimes. Authorities also arrested 274 others who were undocumented and reportedly engage in illegal online gambling operations.
The three arrested Chinese men were presented before members of the media at the NCRPO headquarters in Bicutan last Monday.
Xingfeng denied the allegations that the workers were undocumented and they were engaged in illegal online gambling.
“The other 274 workers invited by FSU (BI’s Fugitive Search Unit) have valid passports and CEZA working visas while others are on the process of obtaining it. Some of the arrested are just visitors or relatives of the employees,” Xingfeng said.
He said the arrest of the other workers will leave an impression to other CEZA-accredited establishments that the same can happen to them despite the fact that they are given license by the Philippine government and their employees are holders of duly issued passports and visas. — With Rod Lagusad