Philippine National Police (PNP) chief P/General Rommel Francisco Marbil on Sunday said that he’ll stand with his men, acknowledging them for last week’s successful raid of a Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) hub in Manila.
In a statement, Marbil said that the PNP will continue to intensify its campaign against illegal POGOs in cooperation with the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) following the total ban ordered by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr..
“This operation is a testament to the dedication of our PNP-ACG personnel, whose relentless pursuit of justice has exposed and disrupted a significant hub of criminal activity linked to online
scams, illegal gambling, and human trafficking,” Marbil stated.
He stressed his support a day after the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) said it was “falsely associated” with the “flawed” operation following the release of 69 foreigners who could not be detained legally.
The operation in the 40-story Century Peak Tower on Adriatico Street in Ermita, Manila, last Tuesday was led by the PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group under Police Major General Ronnie Cariaga and the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) under Police Major General Sidney
Hernia.
The PAOCC, which was initially tagged in the operation in news reports, clarified it was neither consulted nor informed about the “flawed” mission.
“We never release any foreign nationals caught in POGOs because all our operations are always properly coordinated with the DOJ-IACAT (Department of Justice Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking) and the Bureau of Immigration,” the agency said in a statement on
Saturday.
The PNP had to release the apprehended foreign nationals, which included Indonesians, Chinese, and Malaysians, after the Bureau of Immigration (BI) refused to take legal custody of them.
