https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2025/01/09/2412921/senate-probe-banks-pogo-money-laundering

The Senate will pursue its probe on the failure of banks to detect the money laundering activities of illegal Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs).

Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian said he would file a resolution seeking an investigation in light of the Senate women and children committee’s investigation on the involvement of POGOs in serious crimes before President Marcos announced a total POGO ban.

Gatchalian cited the failure of the Anti-Money Laundering Council to detect an estimated P6.1 billion that went to the construction of the POGO hub in Bamban, Tarlac linked to dismissed mayor Alice Guo.

“We will pursue that. Money laundering is a serious crime POGOs have perpetuated that was not given the spotlight,” Gatchalian said during the Kapihan sa Senado yesterday.

The Senate has concluded its more-than-a-year-long investigation on POGOs and its involvement in human trafficking, kidnapping, torture, murder and money laundering.

Its highlight was the discovery that Guo, an elected mayor and alleged Chinese national, allegedly used her position to set up the Tarlac POGO hub and fake her Filipino citizenship.

She was also accused of being a Chinese spy, which she has denied.

BI to crack down  on companies

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) will be running after companies and people caught harboring illegal foreign POGO workers.

In a statement, BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado reiterated his warning after the lapse of the deadline banning POGO operations last Dec. 31.

Viado said those harboring these illegal POGO workers would face the full force of the law because they should not provide shelter or employment to foreigners without proper documentation.

“The bureau will not hesitate to file charges against anyone found violating Section 46 of the Philippine Immigration Act of 1940. Harboring illegal aliens is a serious offense, and we will pursue violators with the utmost resolve,” he added.

Last Jan. 3, the BI said a manhunt had been launched against the more than 11,000 former POGO workers who failed to leave the country before the deadline.

These foreign workers were previously employed by POGO companies whose licenses had been revoked, making their continued stay in the country a violation of the law.

“Let this serve as a stern reminder to all: anyone who enables these individuals to remain in the Philippines illegally will face the consequences. The law is clear and there will be no exceptions,” Viado said.

The BI reiterated its commitment to enforcing immigration laws to protect national security and public order.

“This is not just about compliance; it’s about safeguarding the integrity of our immigration system and ensuring that only those with legitimate purposes are allowed to stay in the country,” Viado said.

The BI chief also urged the public to report any suspected violations and assured that all reports would be treated with confidentiality.

Aid to POGO babies

Meanwhile, the government has provided assistance to about 24 children abandoned by their fathers who used to work in POGO hubs.

Apart from cash assistance, the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) has coordinated with concerned government agencies such as the Department of Social Welfare and Development and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority to help the mothers of the so-called POGO babies.

“(The mothers) will enroll in a livelihood program so that they can at least have some money for raising their children,” PAOCC executive director Gilbert Cruz said in an interview aired over GMA News yesterday.

The children were left in the care of their mothers after their fathers, who are foreigners, were deported by the government following President Marcos’ order banning POGO hubs.

“There’s a problem because they have abandoned children here and, of course, we won’t abandon them because these are lives,” Cruz said over dzBB radio.

The youngest among these POGO babies is two months while the oldest is two years, according to the PAOCC chief.

The agency is monitoring the condition of three pregnant women who are about to give birth to POGO babies.

The PAOCC is also working with the Philippine Statistics Authority for the children’s birth certificates.

There is an issue, however, with a Vietnamese woman who is carrying the child of a Chinese POGO worker.

Since both parents are foreigners, Cruz lamented that the child is practically stateless.

“The child doesn’t have a nationality, so that’s the coordination we want to know from the Department of Foreign Affairs as to how to arrange the child’s documentation,” he said.