As the Philippines continues its clampdown on POGOs, alleged spy and mayor of the POGO sector Alice Guo has been arrested in Indonesia.
The allegations aimed at Guo centre around her involvement in safeguarding casinos that had become entangled in human trafficking.
She was also amongst 35 other individuals that were subject to the filing of a myriad of money laundering counts.
It comes as the government in the region is intensifying its efforts for the eradication of the POGO sector.
Most recently, the orders of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr’s saw him fast track the ban of POGOS in the country.
Marcos Jr emphasised that the arrest sent a message to those looking to bypass the law, as he detailed that Guo would be sent to the Philippines following the arrest.
Guo vehemently denies the allegations, stating she grew up on her family’s farm, however the town she was brought up in, Bamban, was the subject of widespread raids earlier in the year over allegations of its involvement in illegal casino activity.
Adding a further layer of complexity there has also been the allegation from Philippine officials that Guo’s real identity is Guo Hua Ping, as they stated their belief that she is a Chinese national who has helped support criminal gangs in the region.
Setting out the government’s previous action on POGOS, Justice Secretary Jesus Remulla provided a speech to reporters where he stated that the policy’s implementation is now in motion, highlighting that the significant number of Filipinos being employed in the sector had previously impacted the speed of the plans.
Remulla added that she believes Marcos was abundantly clear in the speech, stating that workers will “have to bite the bullet” because of the social cost of POGOs.
The decision of Marcos to eradicate POGOs builds on the continued efforts of authorities in the region to clamp down on offshore gambling and clean up its gambling industry.
Speaking at his state of the nation address, Marcos said: “Disguising as legitimate entities, their operations have ventured into elicit areas beyond gaming, such as financial scamming, money laundering, prostitution, human trafficking, kidnapping, brutal torture – even murder.
“The grave abuse and disrespect to our system of laws must stop. It is necessary to stop this disturbance in our society, and the desecration of our country.”
Marcos underlined his belief that the outlawing of POGOs can have a significant impact when it comes to solving the country’s problems, as he added that “citizenry must always be vigilant, principled and think of the health of the nation”.
