Senate Deputy Minority Leader Risa Hontiveros lauded the efforts of the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) for its recent successful crackdown of illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations (POGO) in Porac, Pampanga.
In a statement emailed Friday, Hontiveros said they continue to receive reports of POGO hubs wreaking havoc in the country. “I trust that these will also be raided and the people behind them are arrested,” the senator said in Tagalog.
Hontiveros acknowledged the importance of these operations because it exposes the evil nature of POGOs, which are blamed for perpetuating various crimes such as scamming, torture and human trafficking.
“It is unfortunate, however, that there seemed to be a leak prior to the operation. There were allegedly Chinese (workers) who escaped before the PAOCC arrived in the location. We will get to the bottom of who is accountable,” she said.
The senator was commenting on a report quoting a PAOCC official, who has called for an investigation into an apparent ‘leakage’ of the plan to raid the POGO hub in Porac. Authorities have rescued and arrested a number of foreign and local employees after the said operation.
“Those who will be caught in cahoots with Chinese syndicates will be held liable. Our Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality will ensure that victim-survivors of abuse and exploitation will get the justice they deserve,” Hontiveros concluded in her statement.
