A Chinese man was arrested in Pasay City on Tuesday night for allegedly coercing Vietnamese women into providing sexual services for clients working in Philippine offshore gaming operators (Pogos), police said.
The suspect, identified as Zhao Xing, 31, was arrested while seven of his alleged victims were rescued in an antihuman trafficking operation on a condo unit in Barangay 86, which was allegedly being used as a prostitution den.
The women, all in their 20s, were being “exploited for prostitution” by the suspect who had Pogo dealers or workers as clients, according to intelligence reports.
The Vietnamese nationals were in the country on tourist visas, the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) said on Wednesday.
“The successful police operation resulted in the safe extraction of the seven Vietnamese nationals and the apprehension of the suspect, who will face complaints for violating sections of Republic Act No. 10364,” said NCRPO director Maj. Gen. Sidney Sultan Hernia, referring to the expanded antitrafficking law.
Scams, torture
The operation was a joint effort of the Regional Intelligence Division (RID) of the NCRPO, the Pasay City Social Welfare and Development Department, Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking of the Department of Justice, Women and Children Protection Center, Regional Mobile Force Battalion of the NCRPO and Pasay City Police Station.
During his third State of the Nation Address on July 22, President Marcos ordered the shutdown of all Pogos for their alleged involvement in online and mobile phone scams, human trafficking, torture and other crimes.
Congressional investigations had delved into Pogo operations, which flourished under the Duterte administration. At the center of one investigation is the dismissed mayor of Bamban, Tarlac, Alice Guo, who is battling accusations that she is a Chinese spy.
Despite the President’s closure order, there are still around 100 Pogos operating clandestinely nationwide, according to the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission.
In a separate case, a Chinese Pogo worker abducted by four armed men while fishing in Angat River in Bustos, Bulacan, on Sunday has been released, Philippine National Police spokesperson Brig. Gen. Jean Fajardo said at a press briefing.
P5M crypto ransom
The unidentified man was freed past midnight Wednesday “somewhere in Manila,” and underwent debriefing and a medical examination.
A ransom of about P5 million through cryptocurrency had been paid by the victim’s side in three tranches.
Fajardo said the police were coordinating with their Chinese counterparts to track down the recipient of the ransom.
“They are helping us to pinpoint where the payment ended up,” she said, adding that persons of interest had been identified.
“We’re looking into the possibility that some of the persons of interest are also Chinese … This abduction may have been associated with Pogo operations. We’re also looking into the report that the victim has been in debt,” Fajardo added.