Forfeiture cases eyed vs raided POGOS

Forfeiture cases await all the seized items, properties and equipment from the Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) hubs raided by the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission, PAOCC Undersecretary Gilbert Cruz said yesterday.

- JOSE RODEL CLAPANO

Cruz, guest of the Kapihan sa Manila Bay media forum, said they would file for forfeiture of seized currencies, buildings, gadgets and other equipment once their inventory of evidence from 46 raided POGO buildings in Porac, Pampanga is finished.

"So far, we have taken down eight POGOs. These include hospitals that are operating without a license. The doctors we arrested, a Vietnamese national, a doctor, nurses and pharmacists have no license,” Cruz said.

“What is alarming here is that they practice medicine and treated even the fugitives. They also have cosmetic surgeons. They planted hair. Meaning they can change the physical looks of the fugitives,” he said.

Cruz said all the raided POGO hubs are equipped with torture rooms, cubicles for prostitution and rooms for scamming activities.

“We confiscated thousands of pre-registered SIM cards. There are also bloodstains in the rooms, which indicate that they were torturing people. The fugitives have assumed names and drivers licenses and other IDs,” he said.

Cruz said they confiscated 100 grams of suspected shabu.

One POGO worker and Chinese national told them that he was tortured for failing to meet the quota of P5 million to P8 million per day, Cruz said.

“The torture victim told us that they were beaten with baton and other torture equipment. They are not also allowed to use their cellphone, which will cost them P10,000 fine if caught,” he said.

Cruz also said that one of the Chinese nationals that they arrested, identified as Wu Li Feng, turned out to be the “enforcer of torture” among POGO’s foreign and local workers.