THE Chinese Embassy in Manila said they will cooperate with the Philippines to ensure the “orderly deportation” of around 40,000 Chinese nationals employed by the Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs).
In a statement, the Chinese Embassy said they will not tolerate online gambling, even if done overseas, such as the Philippines.
The Chinese government firmly opposes and takes tough measures to combat gambling. According to the Chinese laws and regulations, “gambling in whatever form by Chinese citizens, be it online gambling or gambling overseas, is illegal,” the Embassy said.
The Chinese Embassy said they appreciate the Philippine government’s actions recently to crack down on illegal gambling activities related to POGO, and noted that some of the victims associated with POGO operations are Chinese nationals.
“It is reported that most of the recent crimes targeted at Chinese citizens in the Philippines are related to POGOs. It is appreciated that relevant Philippine law enforcement agencies rescued a number of Chinese citizens and shut down some POGO companies during their recent operations,” it added.
The Justice Department said they will stop the operations of 175 POGOs whose licenses were already revoked or have expired, and will deport about 40,000 Chinese workers starting next month.
“The Chinese side welcomes the Philippine side to take strong measures to crack down on crimes related to POGOs, and tackle its root cause so as to address the social ills in a sweeping manner. The Chinese Embassy in the Philippines will continue to strengthen communication and cooperation with the Philippine government and law enforcement agencies in particular in this regard, and handle deportation among other issues in a constructive manner,” the embassy said.
Embassy officials said they have been in “close communication and coordination” with the Philippine government as it places more emphasis on the protection of the “legitimate rights and interest of overseas Chinese citizens.”
The Embassy stressed that POGO-related crimes “not only harm China’s interests and China-Philippines relations, but also hurt the interests of the Philippines.”
Pagcor clarification
Meanwhile, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) clarified on Wednesday that the activities of arrested Chinese and other foreign nationals reportedly involved in illegal online gaming recently, are not in any way related to legitimate Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations (POGO).
Thus, PAGCOR said in a statement, “any individual, group or entity which conducts online gambling without approval to operate from PAGCOR should not be categorized as POGO.”
PAGCOR Chairman and CEO Alejandro Tengco said that POGO operations are strictly being monitored by the agency, and any gaming entity that fails to pass the application process for an offshore gaming license and to fulfill the documentary and financial requirements, among others, cannot be labeled as legal offshore gaming operators or POGO.
Tengco added that PAGCOR is in close coordination with various agencies such as the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Justice (DOJ), Philippine National Police (PNP) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to effectively determine any illegal offshore gaming operations in the country and thwart kidnapping and human trafficking incidents.
PAGCOR currently has 34 approved POGO operators, 127 accredited service providers and 5 special class of BPOs which underwent probity check. Personnel of Customer Relations Service Providers, Gaming Software Platform Providers and Live Studio and Streaming Providers were required to secure offshore gaming employment licenses and are now ordered to obtain police clearances.
Image credits: Asia Times