CEBU CITY, Philippines — At least 38 undocumented Chinese nationals were rounded up past 4 p.m. on Wednesday in a raid on a small resort in Moalboal town, a known diving spot in Cebu, suspected to be used as a hub for an illegal Philippine offshore gaming operator (Pogo).
Authorities were looking into the possibility that the Chinese nationals were part of the group involved in Pogo operations that were raided in Pampanga and Lapu-Lapu City in Cebu last month.
READ: Raided illegal Pogo hub in Cebu nets 162 foreign workers
“They have only recently started staying in the resort. We believe they came from another place and moved to Moalboal to continue their operation. Over time, they may move again,” said Police Lt. Col. Gerard Ace Pelare.
Pelare, spokesperson of Brig. Gen. Anthony Aberin, director of the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas, said a language barrier was hampering the investigation as the suspects claimed they could not speak English.
There was no also sign of abuse or torture among the foreigners, Pelare said.
High-speed internet
According to Moalboal Mayor Inocentes Cabaron, the group rented the entire Happy Bears Resort in Barangay Kalingking, Moalboal, about 85 kilometers from the capital Cebu City, on Sept. 24.
According to a description posted on Tripadvisor, Happy Bears is a small resort located a kilometer away from a marine sanctuary and 2 km from the white beach. It consists of one big house, three apartments with two rooms each, and a pool.
Authorities said they were tipped off by a concerned citizen intrigued by the guests’ unusual request for high-speed internet on a small resort.
“The police informed us that one requirement for establishing Pogo activities is requesting high-speed internet,” Cabaron said.
He then requested the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) to check on the resort by conducting a fire inspection and later relayed their findings to the Moalboal Police Station.
The BFP inspectors noticed dozens of Chinese nationals staying in the resort who could not speak any English when they tried to talk to them, Cabaron added.
Undocumented
“With this information, the BFP contacted the police since the situation was beyond their scope. A proper investigation was conducted, leading to the raid,” he said.
The foreigners could not present any identification document to police, not even a single passport.
“Right now, what we can say is they don’t have documents,” Pelare said.
Seized during the raid were at least 34 computer sets, four laptops, and more than 200 cell phones, he noted.
Due to their number, the foreigners remained in the resort guarded by policemen pending investigation.
“In situations like this, we need to coordinate with the Bureau of Immigration (BI) since they have the authority on the matter. We have coordinated with the BI to determine what possible violations these foreign nationals may have committed, so they can also take action,” Pelare said.
The Regional Cybercrime Unit (RCU) was also tapped to check the information stored on the seized laptops.
Aside from the BI and RCU, Pelare said the police were also coordinating with the Department of Justice and the Chinese Consulate based in Cebu City. —with a report from Morexette Erram, CDN Digital