Second batch: 21 illegal Pogo workers deported

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

Twenty-one Chinese workers of unlicensed Philippine offshore gaming operator (Pogo) companies were deported to their home country, according to the Bureau of Immigration (BI).

BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco said in a statement that the workers took a Philippine Airlines flight to Wuhan, China, on Wednesday. The agency’s illegal online gambling-related deportations started with an initial batch of six deportees last Oct. 19.

According to BI spokesperson Dana Sandoval, the second batch was part of the more than 300 foreigners arrested by the National Bureau of Investigation and the Philippine National Police in September.

The Department of Justice said the continuous deportation operation is poised to implement the government’s policy to crack down on the illegally operating Pogo companies “who no longer give any benefit to the government and instead have been the source of criminal activities.” —TINA G. SANTOS

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