POGO hub raided by Cops 7 more times

Over 2,700 Filipinos and foreigners were rescued from a Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) hub last week after more than 2,700 of them were found to be victims of human trafficking.

In Barangay Almanza Uno, 299 operatives of the Anti-Cybercrime Group and the National Capital Region Police Office searched seven buildings of Xinhuang Network Technologies with two search warrants and five warrants for searching for and seizing computer data.

Chinese, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Malaysian, Thai, Taiwanese, Nigerians, Singaporeans, Burmese, Yemenis, Pakistanis, Chad citizens, 186 Vietnamese, 185 Indonesians, 135 Malaysians, 687 Thais, 18 Taiwanese, 8 Nigerians, five Singaporeans, eight Burmese, two Yemenis, two Pakistanis, Ivorians, Tunisians, Arabs, Indians, Somalis, Sudanese, Cameroonian nationals, and Iranians were among those rescued last week.

They were released after being processed along with their Filipino counterparts.

Among those rescued and still present in the compound are 1,284 foreigners who were rescued. Brig. Gen. Redrico Maranan, PNP spokesperson, explained that the search was to gather the personal information of those individuals.

Additionally, our team would like to clarify that we are involved in obtaining the personal profiles, travel history, and status of these rescued victims prior to handing them over to their respective embassies.

The warrants were issued after a personal searching inquiry was conducted by the Las Pias court to examine the complainants and witnesses.

Attorney Ananias Christian Vargas of Vargas Law, who represents Xinchuang, had previously threatened to file criminal, administrative and civil suits against the PNP if the group refused to let those rescued leave.

Eight foreigners were allegedly physically abused by police officers without the assistance of a lawyer.

Maranan replied that the PNP has put in place a human rights desk to ensure that the rights of rescued victims are respected.