20 face human trafficking charges after Parañaque Pogo hub raid

INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — The Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (Paocc) has filed qualified human trafficking charges against 20 foreign nationals involved in the operations of an illegal scam hub in Parañaque City.

PAOCC chief Gilbert Cruz made the announcement after authorities raided a Chinese-run Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) facility near the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX) on Thursday, arresting 453 individuals.

According to Cruz, the POGO hub in PITX primarily operated investment and love scams.

READ: Alleged Pogo facility raided in Parañaque; 453 arrested — PAOCC

“We have already conducted the inquest for the foreign nationals operating the POGO hub here at PITX, and we have filed charges against 20 of them,” Cruz told reporters in a chance interview on Monday.

“Qualified trafficking, because you can clearly see that they facilitated the employment of individuals in this POGO hub to work here for a long time,” he added, pertaining to the case file against the foreign nationals.

Cruz said the scam hub also had several other violations including the lack of the necessary permits to operate.

READ: 6 Koreans, 15 Pinoys caught operating Pogo hub

Meanwhile, among the complainants in the case were three Vietnamese nationals who were also employed in the scam hub.

“These Vietnamese women were the models they used to attract investors and then after you fall in love, that’s it, they will invite you to invest in cryptocurrency,” Cruz said.

“This is where the arrested Vietnamese workers were employed, and now they are pointing out their bosses,” he added.