Nothing is particularly hard if you divide it into small jobs.
— American industrialist Henry Ford
They are now called as scam hubs, but the truth is, they are just the same as POGO (Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator) that was ordered banned by no less than President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr.
Following the directive, all of government’s law enforcement agencies moved swiftly to raid and close all POGO operations and on record, the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) have claimed that they no longer exist in the country.
Yet, it appears to be not so as recent raids by the authorities have shown that there are still identical operations in some provinces (and perhaps even in Metro Manila) fronted by legal businesses such as business process outsourcing firms (BPOs) and other establishments that are into digital transactions and employ many workers.
Just days ago, agents of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) rounded up more than 200 Vietnamese nationals and launched a manhunt for a foreign operator during its raid on a suspected transnational scam hub at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone.The NBI o
peratives executed a search warrant issued by Olongapo City Regional Trial Court Branch 73 presiding Judge Edwin Torres at the UPower Building 2 in Subic Gateway Park. The joint operation involved the NBI Pampanga and Olongapo district offices, the Philippine Air Force (PAF), the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA).
NBI director Melvin Matibag announced that roughly 230 individuals—predominantly Vietnamese nationals along with a Filipina human resource manager—were apprehended and are now in detention following a monthlong intelligence and surveillance investigation.
“We are working overtime in our fight against scam hubs and transnational online fraud,” Matibag declared while adding that investigators are screening the workers to separate human trafficking victims from suspect operators.
The question now is how the blazes have these foreign workers entered the country? Is it again because our territorial boundaries are porous and easily ‘invaded’ that they are able to do so?
And why is it that numerous branches of government are needed to conduct the raids and police operations?
Perhaps we lack the manpower and resources—that’s why. But just a reminder, “too many cooks, spoil the broth”—if you know what I mean.
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