PNP: Father of abducted Chinese teen has Pogo connections

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — The father of the abducted 14-year-old Chinese national found in Parañaque City is involved with Philippine offshore gaming operators (Pogo), the Philippine National Police (PNP) confirmed on Wednesday.

Police found the missing Chinese teenager abandoned on Macapagal Avenue in Parañaque City on Tuesday evening. He was reunited with his father and taken to a hospital in Taguig City for a medical examination.

“Initially, one of the members of the family used to be involved in the Pogo business. They may have been talking about payment for the outstanding debt. That’s the lead that the AKG (Anti-Kidnapping Group) is pursuing,” PNP public information chief Col. Randulf Tuaño said in a briefing in Camp Crame on Wednesday.

READ: Missing 14-year-old Chinese national found in Parañaque – PNP

Tuaño later clarified that it was the Chinese teenager’s father.

“He is involved with the Pogo industry. As of now, he is a big-time e-seller of all merchandise that can be sold online. What we are looking into is his former involvement with Pogos and his business associates at his e-selling merchandise business,” the PNP public information chief added.

Last Monday, the AKG reported 40 kidnapping cases from January 2024 to February 2025, where 10 of the cases involved Chinese nationals as victims.

READ: PNP-CIDG forms tracker teams to hunt down Pogos

PNP pointed to “continuing challenges posed by criminal syndicates operating in the aftermath of the Pogo shutdown” as the cause for the cases.