THE Bureau of Immigration (BI) said it has initiated deportation proceedings against 29 foreigners caught operating an illegal online gaming facility.
Immigration Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado made the announcement after the said foreign workers were arrested Wednesday afternoon during a raid in a private resorts and events place in Silang, Cavite.
The raid was led by elements from the BI’s fugitive search unit (FSU) and anti-terrorist group (ATG), together with the presidential anti-organized crime commission (PAOCC) and criminal investigation and detection group (CIDG).
Viado said he has already directed prosecutors from the BI legal division to go to the CIDG and conduct preliminary investigation of the aliens consisting of 23 Chinese and 6 Myanmar nationals.
“Thereafter, the aliens will be charged with immigration violation cases before the BI board of commissioners which will issue the orders for their deportation and their inclusion in our blacklist, effectively banning them from re-entering the country,” the BI chief added.
Viado disclosed that the arresting team encountered the illegal POGO workers during an operation to capture a Chinese fugitive who was suspected to be hiding in the resort, but the latter was not around when the raid took place.
“I issued a mission order for the operation after the BI received an intelligence report that the referenced Chinese fugitive was at the resort where illegal POGO activities have been reported,” he said.
The agents reportedly caught the foreigners in flagrante working at various PC work stations that were used for their online gaming operations.
“Physical custody of these foreigners will be with the PAOCC but they will be under the legal custody of the BI due to ongoing deportation proceedings,” Viado explained.
Viado added that they are mulling filing a case of harboring illegal aliens against the renters of the resort.
“If during our investigation, we discover that they have knowingly harbored these illegal workers, and then they will face cases for violation of the Philippine immigration law,” said Viado.
Section 46 of the Philippine Immigration Act of 1940 prohibits harboring illegal aliens, and violators may face up to 10 years in prison.
