China reiterates appeal for Philippines to ban POGOs

MANILA, Philippines — Banned in China, offshore gaming should also be prohibited in the Philippines where many Chinese citizens have become hooked on it and ended up as victims of the social ill, China’s embassy said yesterday.

In a statement, the Chinese embassy appealed to Manila to ban Philippine offshore gaming operators and refrain from making “baseless” accusations against China regarding illegal activities of POGOs.

“We appeal to the Philippines to ban POGO at an early date so as to root out this social ill. And we firmly oppose any baseless accusation and smearing against China in connection with POGO,” the embassy said.

It assured Manila that as it has done so in the past, China will be working closely with Philippine authorities to stop illegal gambling operations that spawn other criminal activities.

“The vast majority of the Chinese citizens involved in these cases are victims of the Philippine offshore gambling industry. The Chinese government is committed to protecting the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese citizens,” it added.

The Chinese embassy noted that ample evidence shows that POGO breeds serious crimes such as kidnapping for ransom, human trafficking and murder.

“POGO is detrimental to both Philippine and Chinese interests and images as well as China-Philippines relations,” the statement stressed.

The embassy revealed that for many years, Chinese and Philippine law enforcement agencies have maintained close communication and cooperation and conducted multiple joint operations to bring down cross-border gambling and telecom fraud.

“Since 2018, nearly 3,000 Chinese citizens implicated in the cases have been repatriated with joint efforts of both sides. In the past year alone, China has assisted the Philippines in shutting down five POGO hubs and repatriated nearly 1,000 Chinese citizens.”

Some sectors have expressed concern that the Chinese military was using POGO hubs as surveillance centers or as quarters for sleeper cells.

Philippine Anti-Organized Crime Commission executive director Undersecretary Gilbert Cruz said yesterday the discovery of at least 18 sets of what appeared to be Chinese military uniforms during a raid on a POGO