Philippine authorities raided a suspected illegal online gaming and cyberscam complex in a central province and detained more than 160 people – mostly Chinese and Indonesians – who were committing internet-based crimes, officials said on Sunday (September 1, 2024).
The raid on a resort compound in Lapu-Lapu City on Saturday (August 31, 2024) by more than 100 government agents with the support of military intelligence was part of an ongoing crackdown after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in July ordered a ban on sprawling – and mostly Chinese-run – online gaming operations that mostly serve customers in China, where illegal gambling is prohibited.
Mr. Marcos said massive illegal gambling operations have ignored Philippine laws, violated regulations on a massive scale and committed crimes including financial scams, human trafficking, torture, kidnapping and murder.
According to the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission, the raid at the Tourist Garden Resort was conducted after the Indonesian embassy in Manila requested the rescue of eight Indonesians who were forced to work at the online gaming hub. The resort has 10 buildings with swimming pools, karaoke bars and restaurants.
At least 162 foreign nationals were found “operating in three separate scam farms within the premises,” the commission said, without providing details. According to Philippine authorities, such crimes include online fraudulent love, gaming and investment schemes that swindled victims of large sums of money.
It said 83 Chinese, 70 Indonesians, 6 Myanmar nationals, 2 Taiwanese and a Malaysian citizen would be taken to Manila to face investigation and possible deportation by the Immigration Bureau.
The commission and immigration officials said the owner of the hotel complex has been arrested and criminal charges may be filed against him, including for harboring illegal foreigners.
“We will suggest to the authorities to file cases against resort owners who allow their properties to be used by illegal foreigners for their undercover operations,” Tansingco said. “This will serve as a warning to those who may try to set up illegal online gambling operations.” Beijing has welcomed Marcos’ move to ban Chinese-run online gambling outfits – which are estimated to number more than 400 in the Philippines and are believed to employ thousands of Chinese and Southeast Asian nationals.
This has led to the closure of several huge complexes, where authorities suspect thousands of Chinese, Vietnamese, Indonesians and others (mostly from Southeast Asia) have been illegally recruited and forced to work under oppressive conditions.
Philippine authorities are also searching for Alice Guo, the ousted mayor of a small town in Tarlac province north of Manila, who left the country in July after the Philippine Senate ordered her arrest after she failed to appear at a public hearing where allegations against her were being investigated, including her alleged ties to a large online gambling complex near the town hall.
He is also accused of fraudulently concealing his Chinese nationality so that he could run for public office reserved for Filipino citizens.
Guo, who is believed to be in hiding in Indonesia, has denied any wrongdoing but has been dismissed from her post for serious misconduct by the Ombudsman, an agency that investigates and prosecutes government officials accused of crimes including bribery and corruption.
Philippine senators say the online gambling industry is thriving across the country because of corruption in government regulatory agencies and huge payouts to officials.