Raid on Tarlac POGO facility rescues hundreds of workers

The Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC), the Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines Northern Luzon Command raided the Sun Yuan Technology Inc. POGO facility in Bamban, Tarlac at about 1:30 a.m. on March 13, 2024, under two search warrants from a Bulacan court¹. The operation rescued 373 Filipino workers and more than 500 foreign workers, according to the PAOCC¹.

The 373 Filipinos were released at about 11 p.m. on March 14 on the recommendation of the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking and the Department of Social Welfare and Development, after interviews and trauma assessments¹. Nine other Filipinos stayed on as witnesses, and one Filipino faced charges as an officer of the company¹.

Accounts of the number of workers rescued differ.

• The PAOCC first reported 875 Filipino and foreign workers rescued, broken down as 371 Filipinos, 432 Chinese, eight Malaysians, 57 Vietnamese, three Taiwanese, two Indonesians and two Rwandans²
• A later report on the freeze order gave a total of 868 workers, with 427 Chinese³
• Rappler reported at least 658 workers found at the compound, composed of 383 Filipinos, 202 Chinese, 54 Vietnamese, 13 Malaysians, two Indonesians, two Rwandans, a Taiwanese and a Kyrgyz⁴
• A July 2024 House hearing was told 371 Filipinos and 497 foreigners were rescued⁵

The company was named as Sun Yuan Technology Inc. in one report and Zun Yuan Technology Inc. in others¹.

The raid followed a complaint by a Vietnamese national who escaped the facility on Feb. 28 and a Malaysian national who said he was being illegally detained inside the compound². The operation yielded dozens of mobile phones allegedly used in scam transactions, "love scam" scripts and various firearms¹. The PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group said it would apply for a cyber warrant to examine the seized phones².

Eight foreigners and one Filipino were charged over the raid with alleged violations of the Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2022 and articles 266 and 267 of the Revised Penal Code, covering physical injuries and serious illegal detention⁴. The PAOCC said at least 280 foreigners had no documents to legally stay in the country and that all foreign employees would be deported⁴. It also said the company held no offshore gaming employment license for its foreign employees⁴.

On April 8, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin directed the Anti-Money Laundering Council to freeze and preserve the entire compound and other assets of the operator, and directed the Department of Justice and the Bureau of Immigration to facilitate the summary deportation of 499 foreign workers rescued in the raid³. The freeze covered 46 cars, five motorcycles, nine POGO carts and heavy equipment³. Eight foreigners facing trafficking and illegal detention charges were not covered by the deportation order³. A Malolos court ordered the opening of 27 money vaults; two were opened and contained documents, several Chinese passports and a few red envelopes³.

At a Senate hearing on May 7, Sen. Risa Hontiveros said she received intelligence reports that the Bamban hub was linked not only to internet fraud but also to surveillance activities and cyberattacks targeting state agencies⁶. Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian said there was no evidence the cyberattacks were state-sponsored⁶. Bamban Mayor Alice Guo told the hearing she owned 50 percent of Baofu Land Development Inc., which leased the property to Hongsheng Gaming Technology Inc., and denied involvement in the operations of Hongsheng or Zun Yuan⁶. A rescued Malaysian testified at a House hearing in July that a Chinese friend sold him to the hub for P300,000 and that he was punched in the face⁵.

What it means for players

The raid targeted an offshore gaming operation licensed to serve customers abroad, not a venue open to walk-in gamblers, and no source describes any effect on retail casinos, e-games or betting shops in the Philippines. The charges and the deportation orders concern workers at the compound, not players. The case sits inside a wider policy fight: Makabayan bloc lawmakers filed House Bill No. 10525, the proposed Anti-Pogo Act of 2024, on June 11 to revoke existing POGO licenses and ban future ones⁵. For anyone gambling online in the Philippines, the reported seizure of phones, SIM cards and scripts used in scam transactions is a reminder that unlicensed or offshore-facing operations are the ones authorities have been raiding. Our guide to the Philippines' ban on offshore gaming (POGOs) and our page on gambling scams and safety in Asia cover how licensing and reporting work. Players in Malaysia and China whose nationals were among those rescued may find their own regulators' positions relevant.

What happens next

Charges against the nine individuals were filed at Malolos City Regional Trial Court Branch 81 on March 15³. The PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group was to apply for a cyber warrant to examine seized phones². Authorities said they were still looking for foreign nationals, particularly Vietnamese women, who may have left the facility before the raid⁴. The PAOCC said it would file additional search warrants for other items inside the facility⁴. The rescued workers were housed at the PAOCC holding center in Pasay City³. No outcome of the cases has been reported.