PNP charges 8 Chinese for illegal detention

A Philippine offshore gaming operator (Pogo) hub operating behind the town hall of Bamban in Tarlac province has been shut down following a government raid in March due to human trafficking, online scams and other illegal activities. —Richard A. Reyes

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) on Wednesday filed an illegal detention complaint against eight Chinese nationals in connection with a raid on a Philippine offshore gaming operator’s (Pogo) hub in Bamban, Tarlac.

PNP-CIDG chief Police Brig. Gen. Nicolas Torre III submitted a complaint affidavit to the Department of Justice (DOJ), alleging that the eight individuals unlawfully detained two Chinese nationals by forcing them to “work against their will.”

“They wanted to go home, they wanted it over but they weren’t allowed to leave,” Torre told reporters.

He noted these eight respondents had previously been named in an earlier complaint filed with the DOJ and are already in police custody.

The complaint followed the March 13 raid in Bamban, Tarlac, targeting Zun Yuan Technology, where authorities rescued more than 800 workers, including Filipinos and foreigners.

Dismissed Bamban Mayor Alice Guo is facing a qualified human trafficking case before a Pasig court and a graft case in a Valenzuela court, stemming from the Pogo raid.

In relation to Guo

Earlier, a quo warranto petition was filed against her in a Manila court, along with a petition to cancel her birth certificate in a Tarlac court.

Guo is also under investigation for tax evasion, with 87 counts of money laundering, as well as a perjury and falsification complaint before the DOJ.

On Tuesday, the Comelec filed the material misrepresentation case against her before the Tarlac Regional Trial Court.