5 Chinese charged as Pogo raid continues

Map of Las Piñas STORY: 5 Chinese charged as Pogo raid continues

MANILA, Philippines — Five Chinese nationals were booked for inquest on human trafficking charges as a result of the Tuesday raid at a Philippine offshore gaming operator (Pogo) hub in Las Piñas City.

They were tagged as maintainers of the Xinchuang Network Technology Inc. (formerly known as Hong Tai), the subject of two search warrants and five warrants to search and seize computer data issued by Las Piñas Regional Trial Court Executive Judge Elizabeth Yu Guray on Monday.

As of Saturday, the police continued to search Xinchuang’s seven buildings at its compound along Alabang-Zapote Road in Barangay Almanza Uno. Philippine National Police public information office chief Brig. Gen. Redrico Maranan said all of the 1,534 rescued Filipino workers were already allowed to go home, while authorities were still obtaining the personal profiles of the remaining 1,284 rescued foreign workers.

These are composed of 687 Chinese, 186 Vietnamese, 140 Indonesians, 135 Malaysians, 83 Thais, and 18 Taiwanese nationals.

Also still being processed were eight Nigerians, eight Burmese, five Singaporeans, two Yemenis, two Pakistanis, and two from Chad. Foreign nationals from Ivory Coast, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, India, Somalia, Sudan, Cameroon, and Iran were also being assisted by their respective embassy officials.

—DEXTER CABALZA

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