Members of the Philippine National Police Regional Mobile Force Battalion conduct an inspection of an abandoned property in Barangay Senyora, Porac, Pampanga, on July 9, 2024. The property with resort-like amenities is believed to be part of an illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO), the Grand Palazzo Royale of the Lucky South 99, and used by its incorporators and Chinese big bosses for illegal activities, including scam modus, kidnapping, illegal detention, and human and sex trafficking activities. At the back of the property is a villa jutting out of a man-made lagoon with its own helipad. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News

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<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/172854644223720240709-villa-pogo-MT-2.jpg" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Raided Bamban, Porac POGOs may be used as schools: PAOCC"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left"><span id="isPasted" style="color:rgb(51, 51, 51);letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:pre-wrap;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;display:inline !important;float:none">Members of the Philippine National Police Regional Mobile Force Battalion inspect an abandoned property in Barangay Senyora, Porac, Pampanga, on July 9, 2024. The property with resort-like amenities is believed to be part of an illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO), the Grand Palazzo Royale of the Lucky South 99, and used by its incorporators and Chinese big bosses for illegal activities, including scam modus, kidnapping, illegal detention, and human and sex trafficking activities. At the back of the property is a villa jutting out of a man-made lagoon with its own helipad. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News</span> </span></span></span></div><div><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">MANILA — The Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) hubs that authorities raided in Bamban, Tarlac and Porac, Pampanga could be converted into schools, the Palace anti-crime body said Thursday. </span></div><div><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Both POGOs are the subject of forfeiture cases, Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) Undersecretary Gilbert Cruz noted. </span></div><div><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">“May mga kapakinabangan naman pong mangyayari kung sakaling makukuha ng gobyerno yung mga POGO hubs na &#x27;yan, lalo na po ito sa Porac saka sa Bamban. Puwedeng gawing mga eskuwelahan po ‘yan,” Cruz told TeleRadyo Serbisyo. </span></div><div><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">The sprawling Bamban complex was raided in March after a Vietnamese worker escaped and called police. </span><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Some 700 Filipinos, Chinese, Vietnamese, Malaysians, Taiwanese, Indonesians and Rwandans found on site were forced to run scams or risk torture.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><span id="isPasted" style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/7/17/torture-videos-shown-during-live-streamed-house-hearing-into-pogo-crimes-1153">Torture videos shown during live-streamed House hearing into POGO crimes</a></span></span></div><div><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">PAOCC also found video footage of workers allegedly being physically abused at the Porac hub. </span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/7/22/marcos-jr-orders-pogos-to-cease-operations-by-end-of-year-1603">Ombudsman suspends Porac mayor, other top execs over POGO</a></span></div><div><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span data-teams="true" id="isPasted"><span dir="ltr"><span style="white-space:pre-wrap">The Bamban POGO raid led to the dismissal of Bamban Mayor Alice Guo, who was accused of human trafficking and money laundering in relation to the operation. She is also fighting allegations that she is a Chinese spy masquerading as a Filipina. </span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/regions/2024/10/8/alice-guo-says-will-no-longer-seek-reelection-as-bamban-mayor-1501">Alice Guo says will no longer seek reelection as Bamban mayor</a></span></div><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/9/27/-hindi-ako-spy-alice-guo-loses-cool-over-chinese-spy-docu-2346">&#x27;Hindi ako spy!&#x27; Alice Guo loses cool over &#x27;Chinese spy&#x27; docu</a></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">President Ferdinand Marcos in July</span> <a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/7/22/marcos-jr-orders-pogos-to-cease-operations-by-end-of-year-1603"></a><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/7/22/marcos-jr-orders-pogos-to-cease-operations-by-end-of-year-1603">outlawed the POGO sector</a></span><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">, saying &quot;the grave abuse and disrespect to our system of laws must stop&quot;. He instructed the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR) to “wind down and cease the operation of POGOs by the end of the year.” </span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/10/7/bi-reminds-foreign-pogo-workers-of-october-15-deadline-to-downgrade-visas-1558">BI reminds foreign POGO workers of October 15 deadline to downgrade visas</a></div><div><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/10/9/paocc-around-58-to-200-pogos-still-in-operation-2236"></a><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/10/9/paocc-around-58-to-200-pogos-still-in-operation-2236">&quot;Around 58 to 200&quot; POGOs</a></span><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"> were still operating in the country, the PAOCC said Thursday. </span></div><div><br/></div><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/10/8/new-silg-remulla-says-will-padlock-pogo-hub-in-island-cove-cavite-1614">New SILG Remulla says will padlock POGO hub in Island Cove, Cavite</a></div><div><span id="isPasted" style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><strong>— With a report from Agence-France Presse</strong></span></div>

<p>The Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) hubs that authorities raided in Bamban, Tarlac and Porac, Pampanga could be converted into schools, the Palace anti-crime body said Thursday.</p>

The Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) hubs that authorities raided in Bamban, Tarlac and Porac, Pampanga could be converted into schools, the Palace anti-crime body said Thursday.

Raided Bamban, Porac POGOs may be used as schools: PAOCC

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Raided Bamban, Porac POGOs may be used as schools: PAOCC

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Published Oct 10, 2024 03:55 PM PHT

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Updated Oct 10, 2024 04:14 PM PHT

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