Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 20) — The Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief echoed the defense department’s worries about the presence of Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs) near military and police camps.
In a press conference at Camp Crame on Tuesday, PNP Chief Police General Oscar Albayalde said these gambling sites, known to be recruiting thousands of Chinese nationals, must be monitored for possible threats.
“Kailangang din naman bantayan. Hindi naman pwedeng… in fact kahit walang ginagawa kung talagang kasobra-sobra naman ‘yan, that could be also detrimental sa ating national security. That’s possible,” he told the press.
[Translation: We need to monitor them. We cannot allow… in fact, even if they are not doing anything, if there are too many of them, that could also be detrimental to our national security.]
However, he said not all POGOs may “pose danger.” He said it is normal for foreign investors to build facilities near police stations for added security.
“Alam mo naman mga foreigner gusto nila malapit sa mga istasyon for security reasons. In fact, that is one consideration sa kanila. If you’re an investor ang gusto mo doon sa maraming security forces kung saan magpapatayo ka ng facility mo,” Albayalde explained.
[Translation: You know these foreigners, they want to be near police stations for security reasons. In fact that is one of their considerations. If you’re an investor, you want plenty of security forces where you want to build your facility.]
On August 16, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana aired concerns about the proximity of several POGOs to the Armed Forces of the Philippines headquarters and PNP headquarters, saying these POGOs might shift to spying operations. Government data showed thousands of Chinese nationals are illegally recruited in the country, especially in POGOs. Lorenzana backs a recent proposal to move Chinese nationals employed in these sites to “self-contained hubs.” Chinese Ambassador Zhao Jianhua, however, lambasted the secretary’s statement about possible spying by Chinese workers.
