P112 million found in safes of Bataan company tagged as Pogo

SECURING EVIDENCE Bundles of cash in peso and US dollar bills are discovered in the 12 vaults opened by government agents at the Central One Bataan office in Bagac, Bataan, on Wednesday, in a follow-up operation after their Oct. 31 raid. —PAOCC PHOTO

MABALACAT CITY, PAMPANGA — The police found on Wednesday some P112.5 million in cash after breaking open 12 of the 14 safes of a business process outsourcing (BPO) company in Bagac, Bataan, that was raided last month for alleged human trafficking and illegal online gambling.

Agents of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) of the Philippine National Police opened the safes of Central One Bataan PH Inc. two days after securing a second search warrant from Executive Judge Hermenegildo Dumlao II of Malolos City Regional Trial Court Branch 81.

Firm maintains legality

The first warrant was for the raid conducted on Oct. 31 on the Central One complex, which consisted of several buildings inside a 2.7-hectare area in Centro Park, Bagac. A total of 57 foreign and 358 Filipino workers were present when teams from the CIDG and the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC), with backups from the local police and military, secured the place.

READ: Authorities raid Pogo hub in Bataan BPO company

Central One has since denied PAOCC’s allegations of human trafficking and illegal gaming, saying it was operating as a duly licensed BPO company and that no criminal, civil, or even regulatory complaint had been filed against it.

On Wednesday, after the opening of the safes, a company lawyer maintained in a media interview that the money seized was for the employees’ salaries and operational expenses.

PAOCC, however, maintained that the company illegally operated as a Pogo, or a Philippine offshore gaming operator, in defiance of the ban first announced by President Marcos in July.

On Nov. 8, Malacañang released Mr. Marcos’ executive order detailing the scope of the ban.

The Filipino employees were released after the raid but 42 foreigners were placed under arrest and detained at the PAOCC facility in Pasay City.

On Nov. 7, PAOCC was compelled to free 41 of the 42 foreigners after receiving two release orders from the Bureau of Immigration (BI) signed by Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado, legal department chief Arvin Cesar Santos, and special prosecutor Raymond Nell Ganias.

The 42nd foreigner, an Indonesian, remained in detention after it was discovered that he was wanted in his country for alleged money laundering, illegal online gambling, and scam operations.

The BI order granted provisional liberty on recognizance to the 41 foreigners, ruling in favor of a petition filed on Nov. 6 by their lawyer, Cherry Anne dela Cruz.

In its order, the BI said Dela Cruz and Bataan Rep. Albert Garcia had separately executed deeds of undertaking as guarantors for the 41 foreigners.

In the petition, the foreign nationals insisted that they had work permits and visas, were employed by a company licensed and regulated by the Authority of the Freeport Area of Bataan, and should not be considered flight risks. They also described themselves as indigents who could not afford to post bail.

On Nov. 12, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin ordered Viado and Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla to summarily deport the 42 foreigners and have them blacklisted to prevent reentry.

In a memo giving the order, Bersamin described Central One Bataan as “an illegal offshore gaming operation masquerading as a business process [outsource]” company.

Where are the 41?

But more than a week after Bersamin’s order, the 41 foreigners earlier released on recognizance have yet to show up for the deportation process, the Inquirer learned from a source in PAOCC. They were supposed to present themselves at the Pasay facility on Nov. 18.

Photos and documents obtained by the Inquirer, including a copy of a flight manifest, showed that six of the 41 boarded a chartered private plane that took off from Clark Freeport for Cebu on Nov. 8, a day after the BI ordered their release from PAOCC custody.

A flight manifest showed the six to be Brazilian nationals, and that they were joined in the flight by two other passengers with Chinese names.

Asked about the flight, Undersecretary Gilbert Cruz, the PAOCC executive director, said the agency had also received such a report. He declined further comment.

For monitoring

The BI’s Viado and Santos had yet to respond to an Inquirer request for comment, which was coursed through Santos’ office on Nov. 13 and was formally acknowledged.

On Tuesday, Cruz said PAOCC would monitor the implementation of Bersamin’s deportation order and the case being prepared by the CIDG and the Department of Justice against Central One Bataan.

In earlier media interviews, Dela Cruz and Garcia also said they agreed to serve as the foreigners’ guarantors because the workers did not violate any law and that Central One Bataan was a legitimate BPO company.

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