The Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) first raided the Lucky South 99 Outsourcing Inc. compound in Porac, Pampanga on June 4, 2024, with a second raid following on June 51. More than 190 Filipino and foreign workers were rescued from the Pogo hub, which sits on a 5.8-hectare fenced complex along Friendship Highway1. The PAOCC said 158 foreign and 36 Filipino workers were rescued1.
Porac mayor Jaime Capil denied suggestions that he protected the Pogo operator, saying at a flag ceremony on June 10 that his office did not issue a business permit to Lucky South 99 because it was on the negative list of the Bureau of Fire Protection1. The Porac public information office said no mayor's permit was issued to Lucky South for 2024, and that the company's failure to comply with mandatory requirements resulted in the nonrenewal of its permit1.
According to the PAOCC, Lucky South 99, which the Department of the Interior and Local Government had already shut down in September 2022, had resumed operation without a license from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. since late last year1. PAOCC spokesperson Winston Casio said at a press briefing outside the compound after the June 5 raid that the commission would check whether local government officials were negligent1.
"We will check if there's negligence on the part of local government officials. They are the first eyes and ears of the government, so if something like this is happening in their backyard, it's up to the DILG (Department of the Interior and Local Government) to investigate them."
Lawmakers in the House of Representatives renewed calls to ban Pogos on June 10. Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers urged the government to declare Pogos a serious threat to national security, while Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez said recent raids in Bamban, Tarlac and Porac, Pampanga showed the hubs had become fronts for illegal activities including money laundering, illegal immigration and employment, prostitution, extortion and kidnapping1. Rodriguez called on colleagues to approve House Resolution No. 1197, which he filed, and House Bill No. 5082 filed by Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr. The House committee on games and amusements approved these measures in February1.
What it means for players
The raid targeted an unlicensed offshore gaming operation, not a venue open to the public for retail betting. The PAOCC said Lucky South 99 had been operating without a PAGCOR license since late last year, and the local government said it had no mayor's permit for 20241. For anyone in the Philippines, the case is a reminder that gambling scams and safety risks cluster around unlicensed operators, and that gambling in the Philippines is regulated through PAGCOR licensing and local permits. Workers rescued in the raid included foreign nationals, and the allegations reported at the site include torture and other illegal activities1. No information has been reported on the immigration or employment status of those rescued.
What happens next
The PAOCC said it would check whether local government officials were negligent, with any investigation of them left to the DILG1. The House committee on games and amusements approved the Pogo ban measures in February, and Rodriguez said Senate inquiries could help the proposal win support in the upper chamber1. No date has been reported for a House or Senate vote.
Sources1 sources
- Porac mayor says he’s no Pogo ‘protector’, newsinfo.inquirer.net
