244 'mostly Chinese' workers arrested in largest 2026 POGO bust

MANILA, Philippines — Authorities have arrested 244 foreign workers, most of them Chinese, in what the Bureau of Immigration described as the country's largest crackdown on illegal online gaming operators this year.

The Bureau of Immigration, National Bureau of Investigation and Armed Forces of the Philippines carried out simultaneous raids on offshore gaming operators, known as POGOs on October 2 in Barangay Kimos in Siay and Barangay Tandiong Muslim in Alicia, both in Zamboanga Sibugay.

At the Siay site, authorities apprehended 113 foreign nationals, consisting of 110 Chinese nationals, two Cambodians and one Hong Kong resident.

Another 131 foreigners were apprehended in Alicia, most of them Chinese, along with nationals from Malaysia, Indonesia and Myanmar.

The immigration bureau said the identities and nationalities of those detained were still being verified.

The foreign nationals are being investigated for alleged immigration violations, including working without proper visas, being undocumented, illegal entry and alleged involvement in illegal POGO-related online activities.

Authorities recovered 78 computer monitors, around 3,000 mobile phones, laptops and cellular SIM cards from the Casa de Coco Pension House compound, along with other technical equipment believed to have been used for online scams.

The immigration bureau said the equipment pointed to an organised illegal online operation at the site.

The government is also investigating possible human trafficking-related offences arising from the raids.

"We will continue to enforce our immigration laws against foreign nationals who violate the conditions of their stay and ensure that the Philippines is not used as a base for illegal activities," immigration chief Joel Viado said in the statement.

The bureau described the raids as "the largest POGO bust of 2026."

Those apprehended will undergo deportation proceedings for alleged violations of Philippine immigration laws. Those issued deportation orders will also be placed on the immigration bureau's blacklist, barring them from re-entering the country.

The Chinese embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to AFP's request for comment.

Ban on POGOs. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. declared all POGOs banned in July 2024 in his State of the Nation Address. He then formalized the prohibition through Executive Order 74 that November, ordering offshore gaming operations to cease by the end of the year.

He later directed law enforcement agencies to intensify operations against POGOs that continued operating despite the ban. — reports from Ian Laqui and Agence France Presse

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