Philippine authorities arrested 244 people, mostly Chinese nationals, in simultaneous raids on suspected illegal online gaming operations in the southern region of Mindanao on Friday, in what immigration chief Joel Viado called “the largest POGO bust of 2026”.
The Bureau of Immigration, National Bureau of Investigation and Armed Forces of the Philippines carried out the operations on October 2 at sites in Barangay Kimos in Siay and Barangay Tandiong Muslim in Alicia, both in Zamboanga Sibugay.
At the Siay site, officers apprehended 113 foreign nationals: 110 Chinese nationals, two Cambodians and one Hong Kong resident. Another 131 foreigners were apprehended in Alicia, most of them Chinese, alongside nationals from Malaysia, Indonesia and Myanmar.
Authorities seized large quantities of computer equipment, mobile phones, laptops and SIM cards.
The raids follow a ban on Philippine online gaming operators, known locally as POGOs, announced by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in July 2024 during his State of the Nation Address. Marcos formalised the prohibition through Executive Order 74 in November 2024, requiring offshore gaming operations to stop by the end of that year.
The government said organised crime groups had used the operations as cover for human trafficking, money laundering, online fraud, kidnappings and murder. Illegal operations continued after the ban, and Marcos directed law-enforcement agencies to intensify their action against them.
Officials are investigating possible human trafficking-related offences involving a number of those arrested. The foreign nationals also face investigations over alleged immigration violations, including working without proper visas, being undocumented, illegal entry and alleged involvement in illegal POGO-related online activities.
All those apprehended will undergo deportation proceedings for alleged breaches of Philippine immigration law. Anyone issued a deportation order will be placed on the immigration bureau’s blacklist and barred from returning to the country.
Viado said the authorities would continue to act against foreign nationals who breached the terms of their stay. “We will continue to enforce our immigration laws against foreign nationals who violate the conditions of their stay and ensure that the Philippines is not used as a base for illegal activities”.
Ji Lingpeng, a Chinese embassy spokesman, told AFP: “Chinese law prohibits any form of gambling including Chinese nationals gambling overseas or working for gambling companies”.
Whether any of the people arrested were victims of trafficking or perpetrators remains unclear. Similar scam operations elsewhere in Asia are often staffed by trafficking victims who have been deceived or coerced into promoting false cryptocurrency investments and other frauds.
Comments (0)