By Christopher Lloyd T. Caliwan
MANILA – The Philippine National Police (PNP) recalibrated its intelligence and surveillance strategies to detect and dismantle smaller scam operations following reports that illegal offshore gaming operators were shifting to rented houses in Metro Manila to evade authorities.
“We are recalibrating our police strategy from broad-scale raids to surgical, intelligence-driven operations utilizing cyber-surveillance, high-bandwidth usage tracking, and community-level monitoring,” PNP Chief, Gen. Jose Melencio C. Nartatez Jr., said in a statement.
This is in line with the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., through the guidance of Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla, to enforce the total ban on offshore gaming operations and prevent their resurgence under new disguises.
Remulla earlier disclosed that authorities were tracking three active micro scam hubs in Metro Manila. These operations reportedly use small rented houses accommodating 10 to 20 people, a departure from the large compounds previously used to house thousands of workers.
Nartatez said the PNP was taking the evolving threat seriously and would work closely with other law enforcement agencies to prevent illegal operators from reestablishing their activities despite the nationwide ban on Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs).
“We take this evolving threat with absolute seriousness, and the PNP is working hand-in-hand with our law enforcement partners to dismantle these clandestine operations,” he said.
“While the total ban on POGOs neutralized massive compounds, these micro hubs represent desperate attempts to evade detection – attempts that our intelligence networks will aggressively hunt down and neutralize.”
The reported emergence of smaller operations came after the Oct. 2 raid on a suspected scam hub in Zamboanga Sibugay, which resulted in the arrest and rescue of 244 foreign nationals, mostly Chinese.
Nartatez also noted that the PNP would pursue accountability for any personnel found to be involved in or providing protection to illegal scam operations after reports surfaced that dismissed police officers and military personnel were being used as henchmen in the operation of micro scam hubs.
“Any active or dismissed PNP personnel caught enabling or shielding these rogue outfits will face swift criminal prosecution and total institutional purge,” he said. (PNA)
