More than a year after the complete ban on the Philippine offshore gaming industry, related criminal charges continue to emerge. The National Bureau of Investigation's Capital Region Office recently announced that it is investigating the alleged illegal transfer of a piece of farmland in Bataan Province to a company associated with POGO, possibly involving "document forgery". This land, protected under the "Land Reform Law", is alleged to have been transferred to a holding company associated with former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque without the approval of the Department of Land Reform. In plain terms, although POGO has been cleared out, the mines laid in those years are still exploding. Want to know the latest developments in the investigation of the Philippine gaming industry? PASA official website continues to track.
Land Theft Suspicion: Former Presidential Spokesperson Implicated
Local farmers claim that the farmland was illegally transferred without legal approval. Roque, once seen as a human rights advocate, was charged last year with "qualified human trafficking" at a POGO operation site in Pangasinan Province and subsequently fled the Philippines, reportedly now residing in Austria. NBI-NCR states that preliminary information shows "possible document forgery" in the land transfer process, raising serious concerns about the validity and legality of the procedure, and will thoroughly investigate and prosecute as appropriate.
Drug Trade Association: Interior Minister Points to Chinese Nationals Leading Most Drug Trafficking Groups
The Interior Minister revealed in a Tuesday news briefing that Chinese nationals associated with POGO lead most of the active drug trafficking groups within the Philippines. "POGO has become a plague in the Philippines, from 2016 to the present in 2025, we are still paying the price for the impact of POGO," he said, "Nearly all the drug trafficking groups we have caught are led by Chinese nationals using POGO visas." On Tuesday, he participated in the burning of illegal drugs worth 4.56 billion pesos, which were seized over the past six months.
The Rise and Fall of POGO: From Legalization to Ban, Leaving Behind Billions in Mess
POGO was legalized during Duterte's administration in 2016, contributing 5.17 billion pesos in taxes to the government in 2023, with an estimated 7 billion pesos expected in 2024. The industry's collapse began with the discovery of crimes such as online romance scams, cryptocurrency scams, and forced labor during multiple raids. President Marcos listed "financial fraud, money laundering, prostitution, human trafficking, kidnapping, brutal torture, and even murder" among the crimes in his 2024 State of the Nation Address, ordering all POGOs to close by the end of the year. In October 2024, police raided a business process outsourcing company suspected of being a front for POGO, which was not registered with PAGCOR. Want to know the latest developments in the investigation of the Philippine gaming industry? PASA official website continues to track.
————
This article is from "PASA-Global iGaming Leader" gambling news channel: https://t.me/pasa_news
Original in-depth gambling channel: https://t.me/gamblingdeep
Free data reports: @pasa_research
PASA Matrix: @pasa002_bot
PASA official website: https://www.pasa.news
