PCO ASEC. DE VERA: Magandang umaga, Malacañang Press Corps. Welcome sa ating press briefing ngayong araw, February 19.

Kasunod ng direktiba ni Pangulong Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. patungkol sa pagbabawal ng Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators o POGO sa bansa, nagtutulungan ang iba’t ibang ahensiya ng pamahalaan para tuluyang tapusin ang operasyon ng POGO sa bansa. Makakasama natin ngayong araw sina Director Winston Casio ng Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission at Ms. Dana Sandoval ng Bureau of Immigration para bigyan tayo ng update sa POGO operations sa bansa.

Good morning Director Casio and Spokesperson Sandoval. Let’s start with Director Casio.

PAOCC DIR. CASIO: Allow me to provide a rundown of the active cases that we have filed against so-called POGO personalities during the last two years that the PAOCC has been conducting raids against these so-called personalities.

As of February 14, 2025, we have already filed 12 cases in court against these so-called POGO personalities while around 8 cases are undergoing preliminary investigation. Likewise, we are now in the preparatory stage of filing for 13 other cases in relation to these POGO personalities.

Notable of these cases that we have filed are the civil and criminal forfeiture cases that we have filed against the owners and personalities involved in Baofu or Zun Yuan Technology, primarily the group of former Bamban Mayor Alice Leal Guo otherwise known as Guo Hua Ping.

Likewise, we are now in the pre-trial stage of SA Rivendell, the very first POGO that we raided last August 1, 2023 in Pasay; likewise, the case against Sun Valley Corporation has now been submitted and awaiting decision by the court in Angeles City; and now, we have also submitted a forfeiture petition for Smart Web Technology also in Pasay; then, we are now in the stage of preliminary investigation submitted for resolution for Lucky South 99 or the case involving Cassandra Li Ong and the former Presidential Spokesperson Herminio ‘Harry’ Roque.

Other cases involving Alice Leal Guo includes the following: The petition for the cancellation of her birth certificate by the Office of the Solicitor General; likewise, a case against Alice Leal Guo for material representation filed by the Commission on Elections for running as a Filipino despite the fact that her birth certificate is of spurious nature.

Other cases are also ongoing and we still have a few more that are awaiting a resolution before the Department of Justice and you may have known that we have raided another POGO run by South Korean nationals two nights ago in Pasay City. They were hiding in a basement in that particular hotel, so we’re developing a series of cases against these individuals, against most likely the corporation as well and most likely, also the owners of the hotel for allowing the operation of an illegal POGO under their territory, under their hotel so to speak.

And, lastly, allow me to update the body in relation to the foreign nationals that were deported in relation to PAOCC-led and supported operation. As of December 2024, we have already deported 2,121. Let me qualify: This 2,121 deportees are only for those operations that were led and supported by the commission. This does not include those who have voluntarily left the country as of December 31, 2024 in relation to the POGO ban.

As of the moment, we still have in our PAOCC custodial facility 337 foreign nationals awaiting deportation and/or repatriation. They are awaiting such deportation and repatriation in as much as we are also waiting for their legal documents, primarily their one-way travel documents, passports and/or NBI clearances.

Now, with regards to the properties that we have seized in relation to the POGOs that we have raided, medyo marami-rami ho. Unahin natin sa mga sasakyan – we have 134 seized vehicles from POGOs, these are all awaiting disposition by the court kung ano po ang kanilang magiging kahihinatnan. And, we also have several properties that are under various stage of civil forfeiture – we have SA Rivendell Corporation, sa Pasay po ito; Smart Web Technology Incorporated, sa Pasay rin po; Zun Yuan otherwise known as Baofu; Tai An Clinic and Laboratory, also in Pasay; Lucky South 99 in Porac; Tourist Garden Hotel, this is in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu.

So, these are just some of the statistics and figures in relation to our fight against POGO.

PCO ASEC. DE VERA: Ms. Dana?

BI SPOKESPERSON SANDOVAL: Magandang umaga po sa ating mga kaibigan from media and sa lahat ng mga nanunood at nakikinig dito sa programang ito. Sa ngalan po ni BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado, good morning to all.

So, ngayong umaga, we will be updating the media about the efforts of the Bureau of Immigration on combating human trafficking as well as the illegal POGO operations here in the Philippines. Two tier iyan, nakikita natin that they are not just conducting illegal POGO, there is also a human trafficking aspect dito sa pagdadala nila at pagsasapilitan nilang pagtatrabaho doon sa ilang mga empleyado po ng POGO.

Asec., may I show the presentation? So, just a brief backgrounder doon sa ating fight against illegal POGO workers here in the country.

Nagsimula po ito lalong-lalo noong inanunsiyo po ng ating Pangulo noong July 2024 ang pag-ban ng POGO operations sa bansa, so as an effect ay binigyan sila ng until end of 2024 to cease operations. As a consequence, lahat po ng foreign workers under POGOs were required to downgrade their visas and leave the country before the end of the year.

Prior to December 31, 2024, ang deadline iyan ng deadline po ng mga POGO workers to voluntarily downgrade their visas and leave the country, nagbuo ang Bureau of Immigration ng isang task force na siya pong nag-i-ensure ng compliance ng mga POGO workers as well as monitoring ng mga foreign POGO workers. Binigyan po sila until December 31 para mag-file po ng downgrading ng kanilang visa, ang ibig sabihin po ng downgrading ay iyong kanilang visa are being converted back to the original status which is a tourist visa and to leave the country by December 31.

The BI together with the PAGCOR mineet (met) the POGO company representatives upang malaman nila, maipaalala sa kanila na kinakailangan nila at may responsibilidad silang ipa-downgrade ang visas ng kanilang mga foreign workers. So, hindi natin masasabi that they were not informed; they were given ample time upang mag-downgrade ng kanilang visas at lumabas po ng bansa. So, nag-develop din po tayo ng electronic system upang ma-monitor iyong compliance natin at movement ng mga POGO workers.

So, some issues faced during this phase before the end of the year ay iyong ilan po sa mga kumpanyang POGO na ito ay umamin na naghintay sila up to the last minute hoping for a reversal of the policy, for a change of heart of the national government. Ngunit firm po an gating national government in its decision to ban online gaming in the country.

Iyong mga companies din po providing support services to POGO companies have also expressed that they should not be part of those to cease operations, or mga empleyado nila to downgrade or leave the country. But malinaw po doon sa nilabas po ng PAGCOR na kasama po sila doon sa mga saklaw nitong pagsi-cease ng operations in relation to the POGO industry.

So, after the December 31 deadline, binigyan na sila ng ample time, up until December 31, so dito na po mag-i-start ang punitive action natin doon sa makukulit na hindi sumunod doon requirement na pag-downgrade at pag-alis po ng bansa. So, mayroon po tayo… iyong slide natin please—After December 31, 2024, out of 33,863 POGO workers in the PAGCOR list, iyong mga nagtrabaho po sa mga POGO companies that are under PAGCOR, ang mga nag-downgrade po ng kanilang visas ay 24,779.

Ang mga umalis naman po ng bansa doon sa numero na iyon ay 22,609, at ang inaasahan natin na nanatili dito sa Pilipinas ay 11,254. Lahat po nang hindi nag-comply dito sa requirement na ito ay isinama na po sa derogatory records po natin at humaharap po sa deportation charges.

Upon deportation, subjects are included na po in our blacklist. Hindi kagaya ng mga boluntaryo na umalis ng bansa, hindi po sila blacklisted dahil sumunod po sila at compliant po sila from the start of their work here in the Philippines up until the end of their work here in the Philippines so they are not blacklisted. But ngayon, iyong mga hindi sumunod after the December 31 deadline are blacklisted.

But we have to also clarify na hindi po kasama dito iyong mga nagtatrabaho na to begin with sa mga iligal na POGO. So, we’re only talking about those who used to work in legal POGOs that were required to cease operations. Iyong mga iligal po na POGO, simula pa lang, for deportation iyan and blacklisting. They were not given any kind of grace period or period to comply dahil iligal na po ang kanilang operations to begin with.

So, ang aksiyon natin on the remaining POGO workers – next slide po – out of the 11,254 POGO workers – next please – top nationalities natin ay Vietnamese, Chinese, Indonesian and Burmese. Next slide po, around 60% po ng mga remaining POGO workers are males and the rest are females. As of February 19, mayroon na po tayong 314 foreign nationals, starting po nitong January hanggang February 19, today po, na excluded or denied entry dito sa Pilipinas after being suspected of entering the country for POGO work. So, 340 na po iyong napigilan natin sa mga paliparan natin na nagtatangkang pumasok at mukhang related din sa illegal online gaming ang pagpunta nila dito.

So, in terms of arrest naman, beginning January 1, nag-initiate na po ang ating pamunuan ng intensified drive to locate, arrest and expeditiously deport foreign POGO workers na nananatili dito sa Pilipinas. As of February 19, which is today, ang operations po natin na naka-conduct, mayroon na po tayong apat na major operations that were conducted together with partner agencies.

Can we see the next slide please? Medyo malabo lang po. Next slide po, mayroong ano—ayan, mas malinaw. On January 8, mayroon po tayong operations in Parañaque which yielded to the arrest of 450 foreign nationals; January 15, in Silang, Cavite, 29 foreign nationals; January 17, in Parañaque, 33 foreign nationals, and; February 17, in Pasay City, anim po na foreign nationals – noong isang araw lang iyan.

Lahat po ng mga arrests na ito ay kasama po ang BI, kasama po natin ang PAOCC, NBI or PNP. It’s a partnership po among law enforcement agencies dito sa pagtugis ng mga illegal online gambling workers dito sa Pilipinas kasi nakikita natin na it’s really a problem. Nakikita natin na marami ito, hindi ito kakayanin lang ng Bureau of Immigration, and malaking bagay po iyong tulong at cooperation ng law enforcement natin lalung-lalo na ang PAOCC which is our dear partner dito po sa paghanap at paghuli ng mga illegal foreign workers na ito.

May mga challenges tayo na kinakaharap doon sa paghuli nitong POGO workers, una po, iyong ating holding facilities which is located inside Camp Bagong Diwa in Bicutan, Taguig has a capacity of only 100 individuals. Ngayon, kung nakita ninyo iyong slide kanina, 518 na iyon, sobra-sobra na po. So, malaking bagay po sa atin ang tulong ng ating partners. Ang PAOCC po ay napakalaki ang naibigay na tulong sa atin in terms of housing iyong mga detainees natin, providing an area kung saan po sila temporarily held prior to deportation. Mayroon din pong PNP at NBI na tumulong po sa atin diyan. Physical custody is with other agencies dito po sa mga raids na ito, but legal custody remains with the BI habang nag-a-undergo po sila ng deportation proceedings.

So, isa pa po sa challenge natin is the government allocation for meals of each ward is 70 pesos per head. So, most facilities po, the meals of these individuals or other needs po are shouldered by the arrested individuals themselves, or by the agency with the physical custody, tumutulong din po sila, as well as their embassies.

So, the BI has already coordinated with local law enforcement agencies para po magkaroon tayo ng provision for a bigger holding area. I am not at liberty to divulge yet, pero mayroon po tayong ini-expect na bagong malaking holding facility for these foreign nationals. Siguro in the next few months, we would be able to finalize the arrangement for that.

So, let’s go to trends on POGO workers for 2025. Ang nakikita po natin na trends ngayon, smaller groups na, hindi na po iyong malalaking grupo na 1,ooo, thousands po, hundreds in one compound but most of the POGO operations now, the illegal POGO operations are in smaller groups, in gated communities like condominiums, residences, iyong mga hindi po basta-basta napapasok ng tao. Mukhang iyon po ang tina-target, iyon ang nakukuha nating intelligence information na iyon ang tina-target po ng mga operations nitong mga POGO workers.

And lastly, another cause for concern for the Bureau of Immigration is that iyong similar modus na ito, iyong POGO-like operations, iyong ilang mga kababayan natin naaresto, kung maaalala natin, naligtas rather dito sa Pilipinas after being part of similar operations here in the Philippines. Pero sila rin po ay nag-a-attempt na umalis ng bansa, going to countries with POGO-like operations, na mayroon pong mga ganoong uri. They are posing as BPOs, call centers, iri-recruit sila sa social media, sa Telegram app ang kanilang usapan, kung paano iyong arrangements. They are offered, like the last one I saw, was 50,000 pesos a month, free board and lodging, free meals, free travel – so ang ganda ng offer. But the truth is, it’s not real kasi pagdating doon, it’s really a scam hub. So, doble-doble layers iyong pagkaka-victimize doon sa mga kababayan natin kasi sila po ay pinapunta doon, naloko, pero hindi pala totoo iyong trabaho, hindi sapat iyong suweldo sa kanila or hindi sila pinapasuweldo. Sinasaktan sila kapag hindi nila nari-reach iyong quota ng mga naii-scam, and at the same time, they are being required to be part of the syndicate. Dahil doon, nahihirapan silang humingi ng tulong sa law enforcement ng bansa kung saan nandoon sila kasi technically, miyembro na sila ng sindikato dahil kasama sila sa scammers, at ang kanilang mga pasaporte ay kinukuha.

Very, very similar to the operations na nakikita natin sa mga illegal POGOs here. So, ang thinking natin – it’s a one big operation, mayroon itong mga sindikato talaga that are involved in this. Since we already banned it here in the Philippines, mukhang may mga similar activities that are happening in other countries already, other Asian countries. Kaya po iyong ilang mga kababayan naman natin ang reverse, nabibiktima palabas ng bansa, and we do not want that to happen that’s why we are trying to give out all the information about it kasi very rampant siya on social media. Kahit kayo po mismo, i-search ninyo sa social media, ang dami pong mga POGO work hiring abroad, mga ganoon po na ang offer ay pagkagaganda pero hindi po totoo, it’s early a scam hub.

Ang modus nila is they would pretend to be a female. Mayroong parang set kung saan mayroon, kunwari, nasa kuwarto, nasa office, nasa sala, and they would talk to their victim on dating app and then they would entice the victim to join crypto currency, to invest in crypto currency tapos mawawala sila. So, similar iyong modus doon sa nangyayari dito at saka sa nangyayari sa ibang bansa.

So, in 2024, ang na-record po natin na similar ang trabaho na pupuntahan, POGO-like operations abroad, 118 Filipinos po recruited to work in companies posing as BPOs but are actually scam hubs. Ang business model niyan, parehas po sa mga POGOs dito sa Pilipinas.

So next, let’s move on to the process of deportation for foreign workers. Bale, ang pinagdadaanan po ng foreign workers, once na sila po ay ma-tag as illegal alien, we arrest them, kino-commit po natin sila, physical custody is sa partner agency, a charge sheet is issued for the initiation of the deportation case. Paglabas po ng deportation order, ini-implement na po natin iyan.

Ang requirements lamang po for implementation ng deportation ay passport or travel document, NBI or court clearance kung may court case siya dito and outbound ticket. Very simple and very easy, supposedly to acquire.

But there are challenges in the implementation of deportation orders. Ilan lang po sa mga common issues that we are encountering ay iyong mga foreign nationals that are undocumented. So, wala po silang pasaporte at wala po silang travel document. What is the implication of that, ang mga foreign national po na ito ay kinailangang pumunta or kinakailangang ikuha ng kanilang travel documents sa kanilang embahada and it takes a lot of time siguro iyon na lang na masasabi to get that because of the initial process would be they would get the name, and then the name would be checked doon sa main country kung saan siya nanggaling and the clearance to issue the passport.

So, it’s a tedious process for the embassy … [Unclear] is the flight ticket, since this is being shouldered by the individual or with the assistance of their embassies, NBI clearance and court clearances kung mayrooon silang pending cases here in the Philippines. Kung mga fugitives ito, iyong logistics of their escorts or iyon iyong mga foreign police that would be coming here to the Philippines to escort the fugitive out of the country.

And let me stress iyong ‘Demanda Me’ scheme. I just needed to mention this, kasi mayroon at mayroon pa rin ito. Iyong nabanggit po ng ating butihing secretary of justice before na ginagamit ng ilang wards upang ma-prevent or ma-delay ang kanilang deportation from the Philippines.  They would file cases, frivolous cases against themselves. So, mayroon silang kakuntsaba na Filipino, abogado that would file frivolous cases like sometimes they would file estafa, they would file VAWC. Minsan our cases before na VAWC case, nag-file ang asawa pero araw-araw bumibisita iyong asawa, may dalang pagkain.

So, obviously, it’s a made-up case, just to be able to delay the deportation. So, ang efforts natin to overcome these challenges, ang coordination natin ngayon with the embassies para expeditiously ma-isyu nila and in batches, ma-isyu nila iyong mga travel documents since maramihan po ito. Nag-request din po tayo ng assistance ng PAGCOR sa procurement ng tickets for deportees and nag-coordinate na rin po tayo sa NBI for efforts to further streamline the issuance of clearances for deportees. Malaking tulong din po ang commitment ng Department of Justice na iyong mga involved sa ‘Demanda scheme’ ay habulin po at makasuhan din, ma-disbar din, nabanggit  po ng ating secretary of justice na ma-disbar iyong mga abogado that are accepting these offers for the ‘Demanda Me’ kasi malaki po ang inaalok nila para lang hindi sila ma-deport dito.

Nasa bandang dulo na po ako, pasensiya na kung medyo mahaba. Implemented deportation orders natin for 2025, as of date a total of 120 have been deported out of the 518 arrested this year. So, in seven weeks nakahuli na po ng 518, nakapag-deport na po tayo ng 121, kasi nagsimula po iyong paghuli natin dito sa mga POGO workers na ito that used to be in legal POGOs here after the December 31 deadline. So, seven weeks lang, nakahuli na tayo ng 518 and deport ng 121. So, umaasa pa po tayo, inaasahan pa po natin na marami pang batches of deportation in the next few weeks upon release of their travel documents and receipt of their outbound tickets and clearances.

Another batch of 150 Chinese nationals is set to be deported as well sa susunod po na linggo, and nakapag-approve po ang BI ng voluntary deportation of another 45 POGO-related foreign nationals.

So, summary po ng figures: Out of the 33,863, remaining in the Philippines is 11,254; arrested POGO for 2025, which is the start of the arrest natin itong 11,254 is 518; may sumurender po sa atin, 45 at ang na-deport po natin is 121.

So for our way forward, ayaw ko lang pong masunog, pero may mga susunod pa pong major operations and BI together with PAOCC – Director here knows it so we can’t divulge siguro the information pa – and other local law enforcement agencies. Nag-initiate na rin po tayo ng talks with embassies to expedite the deportation proceeding and the fastest deportation for POGO-related foreigners was two weeks. So, talagang we expedited the deportation of these foreign nationals, kasi ayaw natin din na nanatili sila nang matagal dito because we would have to spend for their detention, of course, kumakain, may logistical costs iyan.

We are also conducting strict arrival formalities against foreign nationals who were involved or likely to engage in illegal POGO operations in the country, so nabanggit na natin kanina iyong data diyan.

We are initiating or studying initiating legal action against POGO employers who failed to comply with the deadline being considered kasi tandaan po natin, hindi lang po ito isang indibidwal, ito po ay marami so ang mga kumpanya nila na nagpetisyon sa kanila ay may responsibilidad na siguraduhin na sila ay ligal na pumasok, ligal na manatili at ligal na aalis. Hindi po maaari na basta na lang sila nag-iwanan sa ere. They still have that responsibility and we are studying filing cases against them for the breach of this responsibility.

And then, we are also conducting strict assessment of foreign nationals sa pag-grant po natin ng working visa kasi there might be companies, and we are investigating companies that are fronts for illegal POGO.  So, maaaring nagpi-pretend na isang manufacturing company, isang BPO, but it’s actually an online gaming company. So, we are also investigating some companies that are suspicious of their operations.

Just to close ang presentation ng BI. We are not tolerating and we will not tolerate online gaming here in the Philippines. Tayo po ay nakikipag-closely coordinate with law enforcement agencies – with PAOCC, NBI and PNP – to ensure that the order of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., to ban POGO operations in the Philippines is implemented. And foreigners involved in POGO and scam hubs have no place in the country, hindi po natin tinatanggap iyong pananatili nila dito. We have long tolerated their stay here in the Philippines and we have seen that marami na ang kanilang social cost, iyong pananatili nila dito ay may social cost, may negative impact na sa community and we support the move of the President to ban POGOs here in the country.

So, ang BI po together with other law enforcement agencies ay relentless in arresting and deporting illegal POGO workers, and we also want to stress that individuals who cuddle illegal POGO workers will face cases for harboring illegal aliens. Kakasuhan din po natin iyong mga nagkukupkop dito sa mga POGO workers na ito and tuluy-tuloy iyong ating fast and weekly arrests and deportation.

Iyon lamang po, salamat and good morning.

PCO ASEC. DE VERA:  Thank you Director Casio and Miss Dana. We are now opening the floor for questions – Kat Domingo, ABS-CBN.

KAT DOMINGO/ABS-CBN: Good morning, ma’am, may we know the top countries na destination ng mga Filipinos na niri-recruit to POGOs and how many Filipinos were barred entry from these countries?

BI SPOKESPERSON SANDOVAL: Usually po, they are not being barred entry papunta po doon sa mga bansang iyon but we have noticed a trend – Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos iyon po ang ilan sa mga bansa that our kababayan go to, and we notice that they have POGO-like operations. But hindi limited ito dito sa mga bansang ito kasi sometimes many of our kababayan would transit from one Asian country to other Asian countries just to make it seem like it’s a regular vacation or a travel.

We have also received intelligence information that ito pong mga scam hubs na ito are expanding their reach and are trying to open similar operations in other countries as far as the Middle East. Iyon ang nakuha po natin na information. So we are quite worried about this trend, kasi hindi lang ito trend dito sa Pilipinas, hindi lang ito natin dito nakikita but we have also discussed this with other ASEAN immigration leaders and it is something that is being observed already in some Asian countries and is already posing a problem to the region.

KATRINA DOMINGO/ABS-CBN: And what is the Philippines and other ASEAN countries doing to ensure that loopholes will not be present or to avoid instances of Filipinos and other nationalities fly to these POGO Hubs?

BI SPOKESPERSON SANDOVAL: Yes, I cannot answer for the other countries, but what we do is we share intelligence information about the operations of these syndicates. Marami tayong nabigay na information sa kanila doon sa mga nakukuha natin on the ground since mayroon tayong mga nao-observe dito at nakikita dito at many of our kababayans are being tricked into joining and being part of this scam hubs. So, we give them intelligence information and at the same, we continue our formalities po sa ating mga paliparan to make sure iyong mga kababayan natin ay hindi nabibiktima ng ganito pong mga syndicates.

What we also try to maximize is sending out the information about these POGO-like operations na they exist abroad, their offers are not real, so we want people to know and understand, malaman nila na sindikato po ito at iyong mga nakikita po natin sa palabas ay nangyayari po sa totoong buhay. May show diyan sa Netflix na ganiyan, totoo po iyong nangyayari na iyon, noong napanood ko iyon medyo kinilabutan ako kasi iyon ang kuwento noong mga na-repatriate na kababayan natin, ganoong-ganoon exactly iyong kuwento nila. That’s why we want to send the message out to people not to fall prey to these types of syndicates.

PCO ASEC. DE VERA: Chona Yu, Peoples Journal.

CHONA YU/ PEOPLES JOURNAL: Ma’am, what’s the ultimatum of the government sa 11,000 POGO workers and also if you have maybe a ballpark figure as to how many POGO illegal workers are in the country?

BI SPOKESPERSON SANDOVAL: Ultimatum was long done – December 31, the ultimatum was for them to leave. So, lahat po ng hindi umalis ay for the deportation and blacklisting, wala na pong excuses for lahat, deportation and blacklisting. Sorry but they were given enough time, actually more than enough time to downgrade and leave the country. That’s from July all the way to December 31, napakahaba po noong period na iyon for them to cease operations and downgrade their visas. So, wala na po talagang excuse for them not to comply. And what’s the next question?

CHONA YU/ PEOPLES JOURNAL:  Yes, maybe figure kung ilan ang illegal POGO workers?

BI SPOKESPERSON SANDOVAL: Illegal POGO workers, actually iyong 11,000-plus na iyon are considered illegal already. Since, they started legal but by the time that they did not leave ng December 31, automatic illegal na po sila.

CHONA YU/ PEOPLES JOURNAL:  Also, ma’am, do you have knowledge doon whereabouts ni former Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque? Is he still in the country or nakalabas na ng bansa?

BI SPOKESPERSON SANDOVAL: Unable to share information po ngayon at this moment, but we do have intelligence information on his whereabouts, mayroon po tayong mga counterparts that are giving us intelligence information about it. But siguro we will submit the information po sa proper authorities at the proper time.

CHONA YU/ PEOPLES JOURNAL: He is still in the country?

BI SPOKESPERSON SANDOVAL: Unable po to share information at this point.

PCO ASEC. DE VERA: Christian Yosores, Radyo 630.

CHRISTIAN YOSORES/RADYO630:  Good morning, sir, kay Director Casio po. Sir, last month nabanggit ni Usec. Gilbert Cruz na may mga LGU officials na inireklamo for negligence and failure to address iyong POGO within their areas, may numero ba iyon, sir, on possible madadagdagan iyon?

PAOCC DIR. CASIO: So far, we have filed a graft case against the Porac Mayor Jing Capil and nine other LGU officials and of course, we filed cases against Alice Leal Guo.  Now, among the case build up, among the cases that we are building up are also cases to be filed against LGU officials of Bamban. We are also contemplating on filing graft charges and qualified trafficking in persons complaint against some other government employees, officials ‘no.

Likewise, we’re going to file environmental crimes/violations against the officials of Zun Yuan and Bamban LGU as well. So, with regards to the other LGU officials that we are investigating together with the DILG, we’re investigating the LGU of Lapu-Lapu City where the Tourist Garden Hotel was located. That’s the city mayor of Lapu-Lapu city, Mayor Ahong Chan, and other officials of his LGU.

Likewise, we are doing case buildup against some local chief executive here in the Metro, because a good number of the POGO that we raided in the last few months were located here in Metro Manila.

CHRISTIAN YOSORES/RADYO630: May specific, mababanggit ninyo ba, sir, kung anong specific areas within the Metro iyong mga kaso po na..?

PAOCC DIR. CASIO: Well, you could always look at Google where most of these raids in Metro Manila were conducted. Obviously, the local chief executive in that particular location is also being investigated.

CHRISTIAN YOSORES/RADYO630:  One last, sir. So, sa ngayon, sir, gaano kalawak pa iyong nakikita ninyo na POGO operations despite iyong policy natin? Significantly po bang nabawasan o parang lumala pa siya pero mas nahirapan lang tayong itunton dahil into smaller groups na iyong operation nila?

PAOCC DIR. CASIO: Well, considering that we have a whole-of-government approach in the fight against illegal POGOs – we have the immigration, Department of Justice, the PNP, NBI, the other law enforcement agencies – I think the 10,695 individuals that are still hiding in the country, medyo alam namin kasi kung nasaan sila. Kaya lang there are certain challenges that we are facing, nabanggit na nga po ni Ma’am Dana, kung nahuli natin biglaan sa loob ng dalawang buwan iyong 10,695 and we deport 200 every week, saan po namin iha-house initially ang mga ito. Then, of course, we have to secure the necessary legal documents, search warrants, mission orders and so on and so forth.

But rest assured, we have a good knowledge where they are located, a good number of them are actually hiding in plain sight. You see them in your local convenience store, your local malls and so on and so forth; congregating in Macapagal Avenue. So they’re all over here in Metro Manila and many urban centers all over the country.

Gaya ng nasabi nga ni Miss Dana, antayin na lamang po ninyo iyong mga sunod-sunod naming operations, nagpahinga lang po kami ng BI kasi remember Feb. 13, dalawang operations ang kinonduct (conduct) namin ng Feb. 13, Feb.14 then Feb. 17, so sunod-sunod po. So, just give us a little room to breathe.

PCO ASEC. DE VERA: Sam Medenilla, Business Mirror.

SAM MEDENILLA/BUSINESS MIRROR: Good afternoon po, for Sir Casio, po, magpa-follow up lang po ako doon sa previous na question regarding kung ilan po bale iyong total LGU officials na nahaharap sa possible POGO involvement?

PAOCC DIR. CASIO: Ang nabanggit pa lang po natin ay una si Bamban mayor nga po ‘no, iyong LGU ng Bamban ay mayroon po tayong case build up ongoing. Hindi lang po iyong nakahabla na po si Guo Hua Ping or si Alice Leal Guo, maging iyong ibang mga miyembro, iyong kasalukuyang alkalde, bise-alkalde at saka iyong mga miyembro ng konseho na nag-approve doon sa permit noong Zun Yuan Technology, maging iyong kanilang BPLO officer at saka iyong kanilang mga legal officer at saka iyong municipal administrator, that’s for Bamban.

Now, with regards po Porac, ongoing na po, nakapag-file na tayo ng cases ng graft, laban kay Mayor Jing Capil at sa siyam na iba pa. Ngayon, doon naman po sa Lapu-Lapu City, ongoing pa po iyong case buildup and we’re waiting for the result of our case buildup against Mayor Ahong Chan and the other officials of his LGU.

SAM MEDENILLA/BUSINESS MIRROR: For Metro Manila, sir?

PAOCC DIR. CASIO: For Metro Manila, we are looking at one major city here in Metro Manila, unfortunately I could not divulge the details of the case buildup. But you can always read between the lines kasi sunud-sunod na po iyong raid sa kaniyang teritoryo.

SAM MEDENILLA/BUSINESS MIRROR: Ano po, sir, iyong involvement usually noong mga local officials na may link doon sa POGO?

PAOCC DIR. CASIO: Usually kapabayaan po ito eh, ‘di ba. This is a failure of their BPLO to conduct their visitorial and regulatory powers. Ang LGU po ay isa sa may pinakamalawak na visitorial at regulatory powers kaya hindi po sapat na kadahilanan iyong sasabihin ng alkalde na hindi ko alam, wala akong alam lalo kung sunud-sunod iyong mga POGO, iligal or legal man na napapasara sa kaniyang nasasakupan.

SAM MEDENILLA/BUSINESS MIRROR: For Ma’am Dana na lang po. Ma’am, paano po nakakalabas iyong mga na-involve doon sa POGO workers? Ano pong ginagamit nilang visa saka kung ano po—na-mention po nila na may mga countries na na parang target iyong mga Filipinos na na-involve. May stricter screening process ba tayo doon sa mga papunta doon na Filipinos?

BI SPOKESPERSON SANDOVAL: Doon sa mga Pilipino po na lumalabas that are recruited in POGO-like operations abroad, usually po niyan turista sila lumalabas, in the guise of a regular tourist. If you look at their profile, you look at their background, napakagaganda po ng mga backgrounds nila kasi ang target po nitong mga scam hubs or POGO-like operations na ito ay iyong may mga background in BPOs. So, ito po ay mga nakapagtapos sa magagandang paaralan, mayroon pong magagandang trabaho dito and marami po sa kanila ay may mga biyahe na. But you know, iyong mga kabataan po, they like exploring and trying out new things and are entice to offers that they see online – and iyon nga, they end up in scam hubs.

Ito pong mga nari-recruit na ito, mayroon po tayong mga nakukuhang information na may recruitment ongoing inside BPOs. So, iyong mga nagtatrabaho sa mga call centers, mga BPOs, mayroon pong mga kakuntsaba itong mga scam hubs abroad that are embedded inside BPOs that recruit iyong mga empleyado doon para lumabas po ng bansa.

Apart from that, marami din na nari-recruit on social media; mayroong mga Facebook groups, ang pangalan po ng mga Facebook Groups – POGO Hiring Abroad, POGO Work Abroad. If you search that, marami pong mga Facebook groups na ganiyan that offer POGO-like work sa iba pong bansa and ang target nila din, iyong mga BPO workers as well as iyong mga dating Pilipino na workers po ng POGO dito.

Doon po sa mga nari-repatriate, although I cannot give detailed information, but mayroon po doon sa mga nari-repatriate na mga dating POGO workers dito after noong stint nila sa POGO work dito – mga Pilipino po ito ano – after ng POGO work nila dito, they would leave the country and go to the other operations in other country at doon naman po sila mabibiktima at mari-repatriate po sila dito.

So, iyon po ang mga nakikita natin na trends ngayon when it comes to Filipinos that are being victimized by these similar operations.

SAM MEDENILLA/BUSINESS MIRROR: Thank you po.

PCO ASEC. DE VERA: Maricel Halili, News5.

MARICEL HALILI/NEWS5: Hi, ma’am. Mgandang umaga. So, ibig sabihin mga young professionals po iyong karamihan sa nari-recruit ‘no. Ma’am, do we have data kung ano iyong naging trend dito sa scam after noong December na deadline natin?

BI SPOKESPERSON SANDOVAL: Actually, the modus remains. I don’t think nag-shoot up siya or tumaas siya kasi karamihan po when we look at the figures, majority naman po noong mga online gaming workers have left the country. It’s just that may naiwan na mga remnants nitong online gaming. So, I don’t think it’s as big as an industry in the Philippines as it was before but that’s why since wala na silang masyadong operations dito sa Pilipinas, they are expanding to other countries. And iyon nga po, dahil they are expanding to other countries, isa sa mga nabibiktima naman ngayon ay ang mga kababayan naman natin na lumalabas po ng bansa.

PCO ASEC. DE VERA: Eden Santos, NET25.

EDEN SANTOS/NET25: Thank you, Asec. Dale. Clarification lang po muna. Iyon pong 11,000-plus na natitira ‘no, ngayon ay 10,695 na lang po iyon. So, since marami pa po iyong nandito at sabi ninyo naman po identified naman silang lahat ano po, mayroon po ba tayong deadline kung hanggang kailan natin sila dapat na mai-deport since alam naman po natin na itong POGO ay kasama sa mga campaign issue po na palaging binabanggit ni Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos Jr. sa mga kampanya ano po ng Alyansa ng Bagong Pilipinas? Mayroon po bang bagong order ang Pangulo para ma-washout na lahat itong mga POGO at mga illegal POGO workers na ito dito sa Pilipinas?

BI SPOKESPERSON SANDOVAL: For the BI po, it’s a year-round activity. Priority po natin ito ngayon, actually doon po sa announcement po ng ating Pangulo, once he announced that, agad-agad po nag-conduct tayo ng mga operations. And ang target po natin, by at least midyear majority po nitong 11,000 na ito ay napa-deport na natin ng Pilipinas.

PCO ASEC. DE VERA: Maricar Sargan.

MARICAR SARGAN/BRIGADA NEWS FM: Good morning, kay Sir Casio po. Last Saturday News Forum, nabanggit ni Executive Director Gilbert Cruz na tinitingnan na rin daw po ng PAOCC iyong online betting sa money payment app na GCash. Can you elaborate po regarding this?

PAOCC DIR. CASIO: Yes, ma’am. Kung maalala po ninyo, together with BI, we raided a loan shark/online betting platform doon sa Silang, Cavite noong nakaraang buwan at nakita po namin na iyong kanilang modus po doon is basically online betting through financial technology/FinTech ‘no. So dito sa atin, ang fintech po natin dadalawa po iyan, dalawang major fintech – one is GCash and one is Maya. We’re studying the possibility na maaaring nagagamit po iyong mga fintech na ito bilang gaming platforms and/or payment platforms. So, we would like to coordinate with fintech – GCash and Maya – nang sa gayon ay hindi po magamit iyong kanilang platforms sa ganitong mga uri ng mga scamming activities.

MARICAR SARGAN/BRIGADA NEWS FM: Follow up lang po, kay Ma’am Dana naman. Ma’am, puwede po ba naming malaman magkano na po iyong nagastos ng gobyerno sa pagpapa-deport and iyong everyday na gastos sa mga nahuhuling mga POGO worker?

BI SPOKESPERSON SANDOVAL: Tough question. Mas alam ng PAOCC iyon kasi mas marami silang gastos sa amin [laughs]. Pero ang budget for each ward is 70 pesos per day, yes. And then, iyong ating costs naman for the ticket and all is shouldered by the individual or the assistance through the embassy. So, hindi po gobyerno ng Pilipinas iyong gumagastos for their ticket, for the cost of their deportation from the Philippines.

PAOCC DIR. CASIO: I think I have a rough figure. We’re able to spend 35 million pesos every four months that includes—35M for every four months that includes food, water, electricity, security officers and so on and so forth – lahat po ito, logistics and/or administrative cost – so 35 million per month; we started raiding last May 4 of 2023, we are not at February 19, roughly two years na po so we may have spent already, give and take, 210 million pesos to end this problem.

But, if you take a look at the amount, the amount of items that we have seized, properties and all, so we could be… depending on the market valuation to be conducted by the Anti-Money Laundering Council, we could have already gained anywhere between 20 to 30 billion pesos worth of real estate properties, fungible items, cars, name it. And so, inaantay pa po natin iyong evaluation but it’s going to happen in the next two weeks kasi nagbigay na po ng order iyong Executive Secretary for the AMLC to conduct the market valuation on all items seized.

PCO ASEC. DE VERA: Katrina Domingo, ABS-CBN.

KATRINA DOMINGO/ABS-CBN: Thank you. Sir, follow-up lang po, didiretsuhin ko na ‘no. Most of the POGOs that were raided in Metro Manila are in Pasay City. What cases do you expect or are possible to be filed against Mayor Emi Calixto-Rubiano? And how soon can these cases be filed?

PAOCC DIR. CASIO: Well, we’re conducting an investigation, together with the Department of Justice and the DILG on the possible culpability of the LGU officials of this particular city, Pasay City. Because as I have mentioned, the very first raid that we conducted was SA Rivendell that was in P. Zamora; the second was Zun Yuan Technology that is in corner FB Harrison and William Street, also in Pasay. We also conducted a raid in Kimberhi Technology, that’s also in Pasay, that’s the 3D Analyzer POGO. We also conducted lately a raid inside Heritage Hotel in Pasay.

Although, the local chief of police has always been with us in the fight against illegal POGO, but we’re taking a look at the possible culpability, criminal liability of LGU officials, primarily those in the issuances of the mayor’s permit, the BPLO certificates – the business permit so to speak. So, we have not yet reached a conclusion, together with the Department of Justice and the DILG on how to proceed but the case build-up is already ongoing – it’s there.

KATRINA DOMINGO/ABS-CBN: Sir, may target end po ng investigation?

PAOCC DIR. CASIO: No, we don’t set targets, ma’am, kasi it will be dependent on the evidence that would be presented during investigation.

KATRINA DOMINGO/ABS-CBN: Sir, last na. Heritage Hotel, mayroon po bang possible closure or suspension of their license due to the POGO raid there?

PAOCC DIR. CASIO: Nabanggit na po yesterday ni Executive Director Undersecretary Gilbert Cruz that we’re taking a look at the criminal liability of Heritage Hotel. Kung napapansin po ninyo noong nakaraang mga taon, we didn’t only go after the actual POGO personalities; we proceeded with civil forfeiture because we have to make sure na managot din po iyong may-ari ng mga properties. We have to hurt them where it hurts most – their pocket, their wallet – nang hindi na po nila mapagamit iyong kanilang mga properties sa ganitong mga iligal na gawain.

So, yes, we will definitely do a case build-up against the Heritage Hotel and its administration, its owner so to speak.

ANNE SOBERANO/BOMBO RADYO: Sir, good morning; puwede kay Sir Casio or kay ma’am. Ma’am, sa recruiters po nitong mga BPO workers and call centers, may identity na po ba tayo nito? May lead na po ba tayo kung sinu-sino ang mga ito? Are they mga Filipinos din or foreigners? At may nahuli na po ba tayo?

BI SPOKESPERSON SANDOVAL: Sa procedure po natin, sa paliparan kapag may nadi-determine tayo na trafficking case, we turn over the individual sa Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking, so nandiyan po ang DOJ at ang NBI; ang NBI po ang magpapatuloy ng investigation to locate, mahanap po, maimbestigahan iyong mga recruiter ng mga biktimang iyon, and ang DOJ po ang magtutuloy ng kaso against the recruiter.

So far po, mayroon pong mga nahuli at naaresto at nakasuhan. So, nagpapasalamat sa other members of the IACAT kasi napakalaking bagay po noon sa atin kasi kahit mag-intercept tayo nang mag-intercept maghapon diyan sa paliparan buong taon kung ang recruiter nila ay nandiyan pa rin nananatili, hindi titigil iyong recruitment, lalung-lalo na alam natin na nag-i-expand pa itong mga POGO-like companies na ito sa iba’t ibang bansa that’s why parang lumalaki pa iyong market. Kaya we are thankful na nakakasuhan kasi hangga’t walang nakakasuhan, walang nakukulong, lumalakas ang loob ng mga recruiters.

ANNE SOBERANO/BOMBO RADYO: May numbers po ba, ma’am, kung ilan?

BI SPOKESPERSON SANDOVAL: Unable lang to answer for ano, IACAT kasi it’s under DOJ.

ASEC. DE VERA: I understand Director Casio would like to show something to the media.

PAOCC DIR. CASIO: Yeah, we have a video presentation on the eight-month target or deadline that we have given ourselves – by ourselves, I mean the technical working group against illegal offshore gaming operations. This is basically our roadmap on how we intend to proceed, together with BI and the other members of the technical working group in ending this problem. Hopefully, by September, we have significantly deported and filed charges against most of these criminals.

[AUDIO VISUAL PRESENTATION] 

PAOCC DIR. CASIO: So, basically, the last part of AVP is our roadmap, what we intend to do in the next eight months, sana po matulungan ninyo kami. Again, I could not reiterate the usual call that I say during my interviews, we’re seeking the help always of the LGU. They should be our partners. They should be partners of the national government in this fight kasi hirap po kami. Sabi nga ni ma’am, 10,000 pa iyong hahabulin namin. Kung hindi namin katuwang ang LGU, they should be part of the solution, not part of the problem. Thank you very much po. 

PCO ASEC. DE VERA: Sir, may habol lang po na two questions, one from Vonne Aquino of GMA.

VONNE AQUINO/GMA: For Ma’am Dana. Ma’am, kasi parang weird lang ano, na babalik pa sila doon sa ganoong klase ng trabaho, iyong mga Filipinos na lumilipat sa ibang bansa. So, papaano ba sila ulit nai-entice dito considering na alam natin na may torture ‘di ba? Mayroon ding pagkukulong sa kanila. So papaano ba, ano iyong trick na ginagamit nitong mga illegal POGOs na ito?

BI SPOKESPERSON SANDOVAL: Maganda iyong offer, so ang offer sa kanila BPO. Ito may na-received lang ako, iyong isa sa mga sinearch [searched] ng kasamahan ko, working abroad, urgent hiring, CSR, Cambodia, direct hiring for Filipino workers, position, customer service representative. So, customer service representative iyong offer sa kanila. Pero pagdating doon, ibang klaseng customer service representatives, scamming pala, the offer is like 50,000 a month, which is higher than the rates that they would be getting here. Iyan, nakalagay dito knowledge lang ng basic computer, first time is welcome, free accommodation, free food, free hygiene kit, day-off twice a month, every  two  weeks, confidence is key – oh iyon lang ang kailangan mo, confidence lang.

VONNE AQUINO/GMA: So, ma’am, technically, hindi nila alam na POGO workers sila?

BI SPOKESPERSON SANDOVAL: They would risk it. Ang nangyayari is mayroong mga nagpapatunay na, ay ito, okay ito, iyon iyong pinakaano nila, parang middleman, iyong pinaka-middleman, it’s not really a recruiter per se, but parang brand ambassador that would say na ‘maganda itong pinagtatrabahuhan ko dito, this is what I get, you should also join us’. So the recruitment is not really the Filipino paying the recruiter, they do not pay anything that is why it’s enticing, because it’s free. Everything is free – their ticket, lahat, so ikaw as a Filipino, as an aspiring OFW would not have to pay for anything. So, it’s interesting.

But when they get there, ikuwento ko na lang din iyong nangyayari. Pagdating nila, minsan sa Thailand or other countries, their passports would be taken, tinatawid sila ng border, like for example in the case of Myanmar, itatawid sila ng border, isasakay sila ng bangka. And they would go sa gitna ng jungle, iyon iyong lagi kong kinukuwento, sa gitna talaga ng jungle. Ito iyong kuwento ng mga na-repatriate, sa gitna ng gubat, mayroong compound. Doon sa compound na iyon, there are, parang may two areas inside the compound. Sa area 1 is the regular BPO, so they a regular BPO operations. Sa kabilang building is the scam operations, so you are lucky if you are assigned doon sa regular BPO kasi hindi ka bubugbugin doon, but if you are assigned in the scam hub, bubugbugin ka or sasaktan ka if you do not meet the quota.

Ilan doon sa mga na-repatriate reports that they  are required by their companies to pay a release fee, parang naglalaro sa mga P400 to P500,000 pesos na release fee para lang mabayaran iyong cost umano ng kanilang recruitment papunta doon. So, it’s not really, it’s a type of trafficking because it debt bondage, may utang ka na kaagad. Pero nai-entice iyong kababayan natin kasi when they go out, nothing, free everything, so wala silang ginagastos. But in reality, it’s debt bondage, kasi may utang na sila bago sila makauwi ng Pilipinas.

VONNE AQUINO/GMA: Ma’am, itong mga middleman na ito, pumapasok ito sa mga BPO o puro online lang ang recruitment nila?

BI SPOKESPERSON SANDOVAL: May nakukuha tayong reports na pumapasok sa BPOs at doon nagri-recruit.

VONNE AQUINO/GMA: So mayroon na po ba tayong pakikipag-usap sa mga BPO companies para at least matanggal po iyang mga iyan?

BI SPOKESPERSON SANDOVAL: In the ground, siguro iyong IACAT iyong would be more knowledgeable doon sa mga efforts in coordinating or informing on the ground. Pero sa atin, ang BI, apart from our operations natin sa mga paliparan, we release information noong mga ganito po na nai-encounter natin, lahat halos ng istorya ng mga trafficking ng mga ganito, nilalabas natin para may awareness ang mga tao kasi nakikita natin na hindi ito maliit na bagay. Medyo lumalaki ito, malaki na ito at lumalaki pa ito dahil sa continuous na expansion nitong mga syndicates na ito.

PCO ASEC. DE VERA: Last question, Eden Santos of NET 25. 

EDEN SANTOS/NET 25: Kay Spokesperson Casio. Sir, malinaw po ang inyong—nabanggit ninyo na September iyong self-target deadline para ma-deport lahat ito. At sabi nga ninyo ay nananawagan kayo sa LGUs na maging part sila ng solution, not the problem. Do you consider po iyong Pasay na pugad po ng POGO dahil doon talaga karamihan iyong mga POGO Hub na nari-raid po natin?

PAOCC DIR. CASIO: It’s difficult not to say, yes. But let me qualify: The southern parts of Metro Manila have been identified as the locations of most of these illegal POGOs, most of these offshore gaming operations. The latest operations conducted by the Bureau of Immigration together with the National Bureau of Investigation in the Ri Rance Tower, that is within the Aseana complex. Diyan po sila nagtatago.

So, that’s why we are always calling on the mayors, the mayors of the cities of Pasay, Parañaque and Makati to help us in the fight to rid the country of these POGOs because most of the reports that we have been getting are in these cities. We don’t want to politicize the problem because this is not a political matter; this is a law enforcement matter. But again, part of the solution of this law enforcement problem involves the decisive actions  of the local chief executives of these aforementioned cities – Makati, Parañaque and Pasay.

EDEN SANTOS/NET 25: Sir, last na lang po, bakit po Pasay iyong paboritong maging pagtayuan ng … ?

PAOCC DIR. CASIO: Ma’am, I don’t have a criminal mind. I could not possibly identify what is lurking in the minds of these criminals, why they favor the locations of Pasay, Parañaque and Makati. But they are there. Iyong question ninyo, Ma’am, can I address that question. Because we have filed criminal cases also against Filipino recruiters or Filipinos that we have rescued from Myawaddy, KK Park in Myawaddy. We were able to rescue a good number of Filipinos, PAOCC I mean, together with the Office of Police Attaché of Bangkok, Thailand and the Department of Migrant Workers and Department of Foreign Affairs.

Napakarami pong Filipino ang pumupunta doon so allow me to issue a stern warning to our Kababayan: If you see a posting in Meta or Facebook or Telegram or wherever asking you to go to any of the following countries, a CSR, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, I’d rather not go to those places because you have a 50/50 chance of being tortured as indicated by Ma’am Dana – 50/50 chance of being tortured. And we have rescued Filipinos and Filipinas who were actual torture victims. We have videos of Filipinos being tortured in Myawaddy na na-rescue namin and hindi natin kayang sikmurain iyong ganoon klaseng torture.

Now, if someone recruits you  to go to Bangkok, Thailand for a supposed CSR-related job, there is a 50/50 chance that you will be transported from Bangkok, once you arrive in Bangkok, you will be brought to the boundaries of Burma and/or Cambodia. We know the horror stories of Chinese actors, models, et cetera, landing in Bangkok for supposed entertainment jobs, but finding themselves in Myanmar. So, please do not be enticed by these high-paying jobs because it’s not   worth the risk.

Then, lastly, I’m calling on all our Filipino nationals here in the Philippines, if PAOCC arrests you together with foreign nationals in scamming hubs, we will file criminal charges against you. Look at the 114 Filipinas that we arrested in the online lending application, they are still in jail awaiting their ability to pay the bail, because we have filed five criminal charges against 114 Filipino nationals who are being involved in scamming.

Magkano ang piyansa – P250,000. So, hindi po sapat na dahilan ang sabihin na naghahanapbuhay lang kami, kung ang hanapbuhay mo ay gumawa ng krimen. Iyong nahuli po nating labinlimang Filipina na kasama noong anim na Koreano doon sa Heritage Hotel, we have decided already yesterday that we will file charges against all of them for this to be a stern warning, a very strong message to all Filipinos na kapag kayo ay nakisabwat doon sa mga foreign  nationals na nagsasagawa ng scamming, ihahabla kayo at makukulong kayo, may pananagutan sa batas. Thank you.

PCO ASEC. DE VERA: Thank you very much. Maraming salamat po, Director Casio at Spokesperson Sandoval. Dito na po nagtatapos ang ating press briefing ngayong araw. Maraming salamat, Malacañang Press Corps, at magandang umaga po.

 

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