PNP-CIDG forms tracker teams to hunt down Pogos

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine National Police – Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) in Metro Manila has formed tracker teams tasked to assist other agencies in locating and hunting down Philippine offshore gaming operators (Pogo) nationwide.

CIDG-National Capital Region Office chief Col. Marlon Quimno said this in a press briefing on Monday when asked if dedicated teams had been established to track down POGOs.

“Yes. We have teams in PNP CIDG-NCR and these teams are being supported and we are accompanied by the PAOCC (Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission) because as we have known, PAOCC is the lead agency in this particular operation,”  Quimno said.

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

“So we have to be with them because this is the mandate since we cannot operate on our own. Because that is required as well, thus we have to coordinate with PAOCC and the BI (Bureau of Immigration),” he added.

As Sen. Risa Hontiveros mentioned in November 2024 and the Department of Information and Communications Technology reiterated earlier this year, Quimno also noted that Pogos nationwide are now operating in “guerilla mode,” making it more challenging for authorities to track them down.

Compared to before, Quimno said that Pogos have shifted to “guerilla operations,” where only 15 to 20 people work in one room so they can easily operate.

READ: Hontiveros warns vs emerging guerrilla scam operations

Last week, PAOCC reported that authorities raided and shut down an alleged Chinese-run Pogo facility in Parañaque City. The operation resulted in the arrest of 453 individuals.

Of the 453 arrested, 307 were Filipinos, 137 Chinese, three Vietnamese, two Malaysians, two Thais, one Indonesian and one Taiwanese.

According to the PAOCC, the operation was prompted by a report from a concerned citizen.

During his State of the Nation Address last year, President Fedinand Marcos Jr banned all Pogos.

He also instructed the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation to wind down and cease Pogo operations by the end of 2024. With a report from Keith Irish Margareth Clores, INQUIRER.net trainee