Philippine lawmakers step up demand for ban on offshore gambling operators: ‘profoundly disturbing’

Senators have reiterated their demand for a blanket ban on Philippine offshore gambling operators (Pogos) following a raid on a sex trafficking ring near Manila in which more than 700 victims, mostly Chinese, were rescued.

A task force led by the Presidential Anti-Organised Crime Commission last week swooped on a six-storey building in Pasay City and carried out searches at two gaming firms, whose licences had been revoked by the industry watchdog Pagcor, and were now operating under new names.

Are kidnappers targeting Chinese women in the Philippine gambling sector?

Law enforcement officials freed about 731 workers, including Chinese nationals, Filipinos and foreigners, from the establishment that also had a massage parlour, restaurant, pharmacy, karaoke television rooms and money vaults.

Six people were arrested during the operation, and they face human trafficking and torture charges.

Senator Joel Villanueva wondered how the companies were able to operate despite losing their permits, calling on Pagcor to buck up as he pushed for an outright ban on the crime-tainted business.

At their peak, Pogos employed more than 300,000 Chinese workers, but the pandemic, higher taxes and enforcement blitz have forced many to operate elsewhere.

Beijing has repeatedly warned Chinese nationals not to work in Pogos in the Philippines, which have brought a spate of crime, including cryptocurrency scam, kidnapping and murder.

According to police data, more than 4,000 Pogo-linked crimes, including kidnapping and human trafficking, were reported in the first half of the year.

China said earlier this month it would step up cooperation on illegal Pogos with the Philippines as the issue harms ties between the two countries.

Manila in 2022 said it would stop the operations of 175 Pogos and deport about 40,000 Chinese workers as part of a crackdown on the industry, which delivers 190 billion pesos (US$3.2 billion) to the economy each year.

Sherwin Gatchalian, who heads the senate committee on ways and means, which last month recommended the immediate expulsion of Pogos from the country, denounced the industry’s alleged involvement in sex slavery.

“This is probably the worst that Pogos have ever been. It’s profoundly disturbing. What we’re witnessing here is essentially a self-contained hub for sexual exploitation and slavery,” Gatchalian said.

He added the regulator had failed to monitor the sector and banishing the trade was the only way to put an end to its criminal activities.

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Over 2,700 people detained in ‘biggest-ever’ anti-trafficking raid in the Philippines

Over 2,700 people detained in ‘biggest-ever’ anti-trafficking raid in the Philippines

Senator Aquilino Pimentel urged the government to get rid of the business, saying it tainted the country’s reputation despite the economic benefits associated with it, The Manila Bulletin reported.

Meanwhile, authorities are also investigating the presence of an alleged torture room at the raided building, where two Chinese workers said they were being held captive and had torture marks on their bodies.

An airgun, handcuffs and other torture devices were seized from the facility.

Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos ordered the Philippine national police to probe the possible role of local officers in the crime syndicate, saying it was “impossible” they were unaware of the illicit activities happening under their jurisdiction.