Philippine police have recently launched several raids, arresting three South Korean nationals suspected of illegal activities. The cases involve identity forgery, illegal labor recruitment, and underground gambling, attracting significant public attention.
According to GMA TV's "24 Oras Weekend," Makati law enforcement officers found a South Korean man with a forged Philippine ID during a routine check. It was confirmed that the man was on Interpol's red notice for major criminal cases in South Korea and had fled to the Philippines to hide. The police immediately arrested him.
Meanwhile, police in Bataan province arrested two men suspected of illegally recruiting Korean nationals to participate in Philippine offshore gaming operations (POGO). Investigations revealed that the two did not have legal permits, violating Philippine labor and immigration laws, and were acting as illegal intermediaries.
Preliminary investigations suggest that these three individuals may be linked to a transnational underground gambling group, involved in identity forgery, human intermediation, illegal stay, and gambling money laundering. Philippine authorities have contacted the South Korean Embassy in the Philippines for identity verification and to investigate other fugitive cases.
This incident quickly sparked heated discussions on Philippine social media, with the public expressing strong concerns about foreign fugitives using forged identities to infiltrate society and exploit the gray areas of POGO for profit. Public opinion calls for the government to strengthen identity verification of foreigners and clean up the POGO industry to prevent the Philippines from becoming an "international criminal haven."
