Cebu City remains POGO-free – Garcia

Local

CEBU City is still POGO-free. This was what Cebu City Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia said on Monday, May 19, stating that the city remains free of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) activities, despite the recent arrest of 17 Taiwanese nationals allegedly involved in online fraud operations in a high-end subdivision.

Garcia made the statement in response to public speculation that the arrested individuals may be linked to illegal online gambling operations, which have been previously associated with POGOs.

“Ever since I stepped in, we have already declared Cebu City POGO-free. In fact, it’s true that we are POGO-free. We have not received reports of POGO activity here. There may have been rumors, but this case is not related to POGO. This is fraud,” Garcia said during a press conference.

The mayor was referring to the May 15 operation conducted by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), which resulted in the arrest of 17 Taiwanese nationals allegedly involved in a “romance scam” targeting victims abroad, particularly in Taiwan.

According to Garcia, while the activity uncovered was illegal and a cause for concern, it does not fall under the category of POGO operations. He explained that the suspects were reportedly carrying out online fraud schemes, not offshore gaming or betting operations.

“This is a new type of [financial] scam, and while it is criminal in nature, it is not categorized as POGO. Nonetheless, it must still be addressed by authorities,” Garcia said.

“It appears that our police were unable to detect this earlier because their focus has been on monitoring POGO activities, not fraud schemes of this kind,” he added.

Ranier dela Cruz of the NBI Special Task Force said during a separate press conference on May 16, that the suspects were tracked to Cebu City after one of them, who had an existing arrest warrant in Taiwan, was monitored traveling from Manila to Cebu

Authorities then discovered that the group had transferred its operations to Cebu.

Dela Cruz said six of the 17 arrested Taiwanese nationals are known members of the Four Seas Gang, a criminal group in Taiwan, and have outstanding arrest warrants related to drug trafficking, money laundering, and financial crimes.

During the raid, the NBI confiscated computers allegedly used by the suspects to operate a romance scam. According to investigators, the suspects used scripts and spiels to pose as romantic partners online, luring victims, who were mostly Taiwanese, into transferring large sums of money.

Matt Shen, Police Attaché from the Taiwan Police, said the operation in Cebu prevented further financial damage to Taiwanese citizens.

He revealed that Taiwan loses the equivalent of P1.7 billion per week to scam activities.

“The NBI’s swift response prevented harm to more victims. We are grateful for the coordination and assistance,” Shen said.

The NBI clarified that while the suspects were not operating a registered POGO business, their activities may be considered an offshoot of former offshore operations previously based in cities like Cebu and Manila.

Lawyer Van Angluben, executive director of the NBI Cybercrime Division, said the agency continues to investigate whether the suspects are part of a larger organized crime network operating in the country.

He added that they are also probing the possible involvement of Filipino nationals or government personnel in providing support to the foreign fugitives.

“Once we confirm that this group is part of a syndicate involving local accomplices, we will pursue the appropriate charges,” Angluben said.

He also noted that the Bureau of Immigration is preparing inquest proceedings for possible violations of Philippine immigration laws. Once these are completed, the suspects may be deported to Taiwan.

As of May 16, the arrested individuals remain detained at the NBI Central Visayas Regional Office.

The suspects may face charges under Republic Act No. 10175, or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, and the newly enacted Anti-Financial Account Scamming Act, which penalizes the use of social engineering and online deception to commit fraud.(TGP)