Philippine Senate committee investigating alleged crimes at Pasay City POGO

The Senate's Committee on Women is set to investigate Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations (POGOs) based in a building in Pasay City. This investigation follows the building's closure by local authorities last Friday, amidst allegations of human trafficking and related criminal activities.

As reported by Business World, the committee also plans an on-site inspection of the premises on Friday, November 10, to assess the severity of the issue. Senator Ana Theresia N. Hontiveros-Baraquel has voiced concerns, suggesting potential negligence or complicity of Pasay police in covering up the wrongdoings associated with POGOs.

“The Committee on Women will also conduct an ocular inspection of the building on Friday (Nov. 10) to understand the scale of the problem,” Senator Hontiveros-Baraquel told Business World. “Pasay police officers were either negligent or complicit in covering up for the POGOs," she added.

Over the weekend, Colonel Jean S. Fajardo, spokesperson for the Philippine National Police (PNP), announced that the Pasay City police chief and 27 other officers had been relieved from duty due to their alleged involvement with the POGO center's illegal activities.

Furthermore, on Monday, Senator Sherwin T. Gatchalian filed a resolution to initiate an inquiry into criminal syndicates' engagement with POGO enterprises. He highlighted numerous accounts of human trafficking victims from these sites. “These syndicates have already corrupted our enforcers enabling them to operate freely even beside the police station,” he remarked.

Earlier this month, the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission uncovered torture devices and rescued a total of 731 alleged human trafficking victims from the Pasay POGO hub, raising serious questions about the extent of criminal activities connected to these gaming operations.