MANILA, Philippines — Possible burial sites have been identified in a Philippine offshore gaming operators (Pogo) hub in Porac, Pampanga, the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) said on Thursday.
PAOCC Spokesperson Winston John Casio said operatives of the agency, prosecutors, and the Philippine National Police – Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) made the potential grim discovery inside the Lucky South 99 facility.
“Over the weekend, prosecutors, PNP-CIDG investigators, officers of PAOCC and witnesses have identified possible burial locations,” Casio said in a statement.
Casio said the PAOCC investigated claims of buried bodies after receiving reports on the matter.
Casio said PAOCC have now applied for search warrants.
“These are very serious allegations that our task group cannot take lightly,” Casio said.
“For this reason, we have decided to apply for a search warrant to calm the anxious minds of both the foreign embassies with missing nationals as well as the relatives of those who have disappeared.”
Chinese nationals earlier filed charges before the Department of Justice to file charges against Lucky South 99 representative Cassandra Li Ong and 53 others, accusing them of trafficking and forcing them to work in the said Pogo hub.
Lucky South 99 was raided and shuttered by law enforcers on June 4 on suspicion that it was involved in torture, human trafficking and scamming activities.
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. declared a ban on Pogo operations in the country during his State of the Nation Address in July.