Pampanga police station chief sacked after illegal Pogo raid

A Pampanga town police station chief is removed from his post following the raid at an illegal offshore gaming (Pogo) complex in the province on Tuesday, June 4, 2024. INQUIRER FILES

MANILA, Philippines — A Pampanga town police station chief was removed from his post following the raid at an illegal offshore gaming complex in the province on Tuesday, June 4.

Philippine National Police (PNP) spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo said the commander of the Porac Municipal Police Station was relieved as investigations are underway to find out how an unlicensed Pogo was able to do business in the town since 2023.

Fajardo cited a report from the PNP Region 3 (Central Luzon) when she shared the information, but she did not divulge the name of the sacked Porac Municipal Police Station head without providing a reason.

READ: 7 more Filipinos rescued in Pampanga Pogo raid, says PAOCC

“As to the level of the accountability, antayin po natin dahil nag-order na ang PNP chief (Rommel Marbil) to investigate how come na yung scam farm na ito nag tuloy-tuloy ang operation in the absence of license to operate” she said.

(As to the level of accountability, let us wait because PNP Chief General Rommel Marbil already ordered an investigation on why this scam farm was able to continuously operate in the absence of a license to operate.)

According to the PNP official, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) denied Lucky South 99’s application to operate as an internet gaming establishment on May 20.

She noted that the PNP discovered the Pogo had been illegally operating since late last year and until it was raided last June 4.

READ: Pampanga Pogo linked to scams, trafficking; 186 rescued in raid

A Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) report released Wednesday showed that its agents and operatives of PNP units raided the Pogo along Friendship Highway, Angeles City, and resulted in the rescue of 187 people, including 158 foreigners.

The foreigners consist of 126 Chinese, 23 Vietnamese, four Malaysians, four Burmese, and a Korean.

According to PAOCC, its raid stemmed from a search warrant issued by Malolos Regional Trial Court Branch 14 Presiding Judge Maria Belinda Rama against Lucky South 99, which the anti-organized crime body described as “the biggest facility in Pampanga with a reported total number of 46 buildings including villas and other structures, as well as a golf course.”

PAOCC said they came to know about the Pogo after a tipster reported a female foreigner was sexually trafficked while male foreigners were tortured in the complex.