FIRING LINE: POGO gone wild in Las Piñas

By Robert B. Roque, Jr.

Kudos to the Philippine National Police (PNP) and its chief, and commendations to the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) and the PNP-Special Action Force (SAF) for their triumphant rescue mission, saving over 2,000 Philippine Offshore Gaming Operation (POGO) workers and uncovering the illegal activities that were taking place in this POGO fortress in Las Piñas City last week.

An extra congratulatory note to Brig. Gen. Sidney Hernia, director of the PNP-Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP-ACG), who revealed that at least two of the foreigners in custody are wanted fugitives in their respective homelands.

But I believe, at this point, there are still a lot of skeletons in the closet of this Xinchuang Network Technologies firm that was raided, which have been kept from the public eye. Firing Line was given a copy of the complaint letter sent to Malacañang that exposed these illegal activities at the POGO compound.

Upon reading the complaint, you could imagine a self-governed city within Las Piñas City. Complete with its own restaurant, bar, spa, and even a so-called “police force” (security agency), this compound has become a haven for alleged crimes that were never reported to the authorities.

Situated at No. 501 Almanza Uno, Executive Avenue, Las Piñas City, this POGO allegedly accommodates about 4,000 mostly undocumented foreign workers from Southeast Asian countries such as Vietnam, Malaysia, Myanmar, and China. They reside in seven condominium buildings within the area.

The compound is supposedly managed by Quihua Lu, Liangfei Chen, and one Jimmy Lin, who is reportedly a close associate of the city mayor. They allegedly collaborate with individuals known as “Andy” and “Quintas,” who are administrative officials of the POGO, as well as the Front Kick Security Agency responsible for preventing undocumented aliens from leaving the compound. These workers can only exit under guard escort, transported in white vans and Toyota Alphard vehicles, the complaint said.

The Filipino employees who wrote to Malacañang sought justice for six months of unpaid wages and for being confined within the compound as if they were prisoners. This compound reportedly resembles a republic of its own, engaging in activities blatantly linked to human trafficking, such as providing foreign women to serve as prostitutes for other foreigners employed within the POGO.

The Front Kick Security Agency is owned by a dismissed police officer, whom they identified as a Colonel Bautista, who has pending charges at the National Police Commission (Napolcom). Shockingly, some of his guards allegedly lack licenses but possess high-caliber firearms. Another individual involved in managing the compound is retired police Captain Miranda.

Despite numerous violations with the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), this POGO operation thrives from the afternoon until early morning.

The complainants alleged this is because corrupt officials within PAGCOR are on the take from the POGO firm’s executives, such as one “Atty. Jessa.” The letter also named a bagman from the PNP-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, known as “Marantan” as well as intermediaries from the Bureau of Immigration — a certain “Mike” and another in the National Bureau of Investigation who goes by the aliases “Ariate” and “Edwin.”

Even some ranking Las Piñas City police officials and station commanders, particularly one Major Britanico, were identified in the letter to be recipients of payoffs from this POGO.

This deserves a deeper investigation, perhaps in the Senate. How about it, Sen. Rissa Hontiveros or Sen. Bato dela Rosa?

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