FILE PHOTO: Senator Sherwin Gatchalian during a meeting on learning recovery on Thursday, May 18, 2023. In a statement on Tuesday, March 26, 2024, Gatchalian said he suspects that some personnel of the Bureau of Immigration could be allegedly conspiring with foreign fugitives linked to Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators or Pogos. (Joseph Vidal/Senate PRIB)
MANILA, Philippines — Senator Sherwin Gatchalian suspects that some personnel of the Bureau of Immigration (BI) could be allegedly conspiring with foreign fugitives linked to Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (Pogos).
Gatchalian noted the arrest of a Taiwanese fugitive, Chang Chia Wei, in the latest raid conducted at a Pogo hub in Bamban town in Tarlac province.
He also cited the arrests of other foreign fugitives during last year’s Pogo raids conducted by the police.
“Paano nakakapasok sa Pilipinas ang mga wanted fugitive mula sa ibang bansa? Sadyang nalulusutan lang ba tayo o talagang pinapalusot natin, alin ang tama?” Gatchalian raised these questions in a statement on Tuesday.
(How could fugitives from other countries enter the Philippines? Are we being tricked into letting them in or are we really allowing them to get through, which is right?)
“Foreign Pogo workers turning out to be fugitives in their respective countries have become a common occurrence in all the Pogo raids we have seen in recent years. This indicates that they are part of organized criminal syndicates,” he lamented.
Gatchalian added: “It boggles the mind that the BI is unable to detect the entry of these fugitives, indicating that some of their personnel could be in cahoots with these fugitives.”
INQUIRER.net is still trying to reach the BI for comment.
The March 13, 2024 raid in Tarlac is now the subject of Senate Resolution No. 977 recently filed by the senator.
In the resolution, Gatchalian particularly asked the Senate to look into the alleged human trafficking, serious illegal detention, physical abuse and torture inside the premises of Zuan Yuan Technology, Inc., a grantee of a provisional internet gaming licensee.
As chairman of the committee on ways and means, the senator led the Senate probe on the impact of the offshore gaming operations in the country.
The panel later recommended the permanent banning of Pogos in the country. https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1834185/senate-panel-recommends-ban-of-pogos-in-ph