GOVERNMENT officials and private citizens alike who have been actively fighting the presence of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) in the country are one in pointing out that these establishments breed crimes, mostly involving foreigners, adding to our law enforcement agencies’ workload.
Many, therefore, praised President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. when he announced last July in his State of the Nation Address a ban on the POGOs starting Dec. 31, 2024. The Chief Executive forthwith instructed the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) and the Bureau of Immigration (BI) to start the smooth phaseout of these firms, considering that a number of Filipinos stand to lose their jobs.
Pagcor discontinued the issuance of new licenses or permits for POGOs while the BI deported foreigners who voluntarily closed shop to return to their native land.
There are, however, some holdouts such as Chinese nationals who chose to operate underground in what the authorities call “guerrilla operations.” They even had the temerity to teach Filipinos on how the financial scams are undertaken, and moved their operations in the provinces.
‘This is one time when Filipinos can thank the President for banning all forms of POGO.’
This racket would have been under the authorities’ radar, but for the occurrence of another horrifying crime recently — the kidnapping of a Chinese boy, a student in an exclusive school in Taguig City, and a son of an obviously rich father.
Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said the child went missing on February 20 after he was dismissed from school in the afternoon. The boy and his driver never made it home, and their family vehicle was later found southbound on C-5 Road. The parents reported him missing to the police the following day, February 21.
What horrified a lot of people, including reporters and media men who are used to covering heinous crimes, was when the kidnappers sent a video showing the victim having one of his fingers cut off. The next day, another video was made showing the boy singing and smiling, proof that he was alive.
The kidnappers initially demanded a whopping $20 million ransom, according to Remulla, but later attempted to renegotiate it to $1 million.
This kidnapping case tested the capability of our Philippine National Police (PNP), particularly the Anti-Kidnapping Group (AKG), in solving the crime. The police found the body of the family driver who had fetched the young victim from school. The body was found in an abandoned vehicle in San Rafael, Bulacan, along with various clues and pieces of evidence such as a cellphone, phone numbers, photos, etc.
The police’s relentless operation led them to the Parañaque area where a vehicle had left a young boy with a bandaged hand, dressed in pajamas. The policemen rescued the boy and brought him to safety but failed to pursue the vehicle.
PNP-AKG Director Col. Elmer Ragay said police are investigating a Chinese-led group linked to previous kidnappings. They believe that the boy likely comes from a family of former POGO owners, and that POGO elements may be behind the kidnapping.
“Chinese to Chinese,” Remulla said about the conversation between the kidnappers and the parents of the victim, done through WeChat.
This is one time when Filipinos can thank the President for banning all forms of POGO.
