The Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission’s (PAOCC) campaign against illegal small-scale Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) is ongoing, with law enforcement adapting to syndicates’ changing methods.
In a public briefing on Thursday, PAOCC Undersecretary Gilbert Cruz said the raids, carried out in coordination with the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), have uncovered smaller hubs in Metro Manila and Angeles City in recent days.
“Unlike before, these hubs no longer employ thousands of foreign workers. What we’re seeing now are small groups of 10 to 50, sometimes even Filipinos working as so-called keyboard warriors,” Cruz said in a televised interview.
He added that while the large-scale POGO compounds have dwindled, the smaller operations continue to be linked to crimes such as online scamming, worker abuse, and, in some cases, kidnapping.
“The modus operandi remains the same. Some workers complain of being beaten when they fail to meet quotas,” he said.
Cruz noted that the smaller groups rely on laptops and pocket Wi-Fi devices, allowing them to quickly pack up and evade authorities during raids.
Unlike previous operations that netted foreign “bosses” running the hubs, today’s operators often stay away from the sites, making them harder to catch.
To counter this, PAOCC has expanded its intelligence-gathering, infiltrating online platforms and chat groups where recruitment and coordination are conducted.
“They still use the internet for hiring, posting on apps like WhatsApp or even Facebook. That’s where we pick up intel that leads to arrests,” Cruz said.
Asked about the broader impact of small-scale POGOs on communities, Cruz said their presence poses less of a threat compared to the large-scale hubs that flourished in previous years.
“Before, there was kidnapping, torture, money laundering, and massive scamming. Now these are just small operations, something that local law enforcement can already handle,” he said.
Despite the reduced scale, Cruz said the government remains committed to shutting down all illegal POGO activity in the country.
