Twenty-three Chinese nationals involved in illegal operations of offshore gaming and cyber fraud were deported from the Philippines on Friday, Nov. 21, according to the Bureau of Immigration (BI).
The detainees were boarded on a Philippine Airlines flight to Shanghai Pudong International Airport early that morning, said Alexi Val Arciaga, chief of the BI’s deportation and implementation unit.
BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado said the deportation demonstrates the resolve of the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to rid the country of foreign nationals engaged in illicit activities.
He added that enforcement actions will continue “as long as illegal online gaming facilities and scam hubs persist,” with more arrests and deportations expected in the days ahead.
The move follows the passage of the Anti‑POGO Law on Oct. 23, which imposes stricter penalties and gives law-enforcement agencies greater power to shut down illegal gaming hubs and related cyber-fraud operations including human-trafficking and unauthorized employment.