Immigration authorities on Wednesday deported 75 Chinese nationals who were arrested eight months ago for engaging in illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations (POGO).
Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente said the Chinese citizens were put aboard a chartered flight bound for Zhengzhou, China on Wednesday, August 12, 2020, that left the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) later in the day.
Morente said Chinese embassy officials helped arranged the departure of their citizens who had been detained since their arrest in December 2019.
However, their deportation was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which halted most airport operations.
“They were expelled pursuant to a summary deportation order issued against them by our Board of Commissioners for violating our immigration laws and [for] being undesirable aliens,” the BI chief said, adding the deportees will be prosecuted in China where they have been charged with economic crimes.
Mainland China prohibits gambling, forcing some of their citizens to head to Macau, or the Philippines, where casino operations are allowed.
Others have resorted to online betting that illicit operators run abroad, such as those found in the country, offering online gambling services.
Morente said the deportees were placed in the immigration blacklist to prevent them from reentering the Philippines.
BI Intelligence Chief Fortunato “Jun” Manahan Jr., said the 75 deportees were among the more than 300 Chinese nationals arrested last December 2019 by joint operatives of the BI Intelligence Division and Quezon City Police District at their rented offices inside a building along North Edsa in Bago Bantay, Quezon City.
Manahan said the Chinese nationals violated the conditions of their stay as tourists by working without proper work permits and engaging in unauthorized online gaming operations.
“Chinese authorities said that they were engaged in cybercrime activities and investment scams that victimized many of their compatriots in China,” Manahan added.
The deportees are now classified as undocumented aliens as their passports have already been canceled by the Chinese government.