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CEBU CITY, Philippines – Police here are preparing to file formal charges of illegal overstaying against the 38 undocumented Chinese nationals suspected of being engaged in illegal Philippine Offshore Gambling Operation (Pogo) in Moalboal town.
The Moalboal Police Station on Tuesday, October 15, announced that they will file cases against the undocumented foreigners for violating the Alien Registration Act of 1950 or Republic Act of 562.
This came after authorities implemented the search warrant addressed to one of the Chinese nationals apprehended, a certain Zhai Shi Ying, who and 37 others had been staying in a small resort in Brgy. Saavedra.
With the search warrant, police managed to confiscate dozens of gadgets from the foreigners. These included 34 computer sets, four laptops and 226 smartphones.
According to Police Captain Brigido Paca, chief of Moalboal Police Station, the confiscated gadgets will undergo forensic examination to determine if these were used for any illegal activities, like offshore online gambling.
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They also seized six vehicles from the site – a Toyota Hi Ace Van, Ford Everest and Ford Titanium SUVs, a Ford Territory, a Suzuki Jimny and a Toyota Innova.
On Wednesday, October 9, police in Moalboal raided the Happy Bear Resort days after receiving a tip from a concerned citizen about an unusual high-speed internet request from the small establishment.
They found 38 Chinese nationals who failed to show any documents, including passports, to prove their identities.
Local officials in Moalboal attributed the raid to their ‘proactive monitoring’ of any possible Pogo activities in their area, following the raid of an illegal Pogo hub in Lapu-Lapu City, Mactan Island last September.
Both Moalboal and Lapu-Lapu City are popular tourist destinations in Cebu. / with reports from Morexette Marie Erram, senior multimedia reporter