PAOCC: 9,000 ex-POGO workers scattered in Phl

Nearly a year after President Marcos banned Philippine offshore gaming operators, over 9,000 foreigners who worked in POGO hubs remain at large, according to the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission.

- By Mark Ernest Villeza

PAOCC executive director Gilbert Cruz told lawmakers during the House quad committee hearing yesterday that enforcement operations against these illegal foreign workers have been halted due to overcrowding at the commission's detention facility.

Cruz said 600 foreign workers are being held at the PAOCC detention center in Pasay.

"Several detainees still cannot be deported due to missing passports. This is our problem. Most of the foreign nationals who worked in POGOs had their passports confiscated. They are scattered across the country," Cruz said.