The Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) clarified its non-involvement in a recent raid on a Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) in Malate, distancing itself from reports linking the commission to the operation.
In a statement, PAOCC said it was neither consulted nor informed about the raid, which was led by the Philippine National Police-National Capital Region Police Office (PNP-NCRPO) and the Philippine National Police-Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP-ACG).
“[PAOCC] was not part of the raid that was spearheaded by the PNP NCRPO and the PNP ACG. We were never consulted nor informed regarding this operation,” the statement read.
“We never release any foreign nationals caught in POGOs because all our operations are always properly coordinated with the DOJ IACAT (Department of Justice’s Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking) and the Bureau of Immigration,” it added.
The commission also took issue with descriptions of the raided site as the “Mother of All POGOs,” underscoring that it had no involvement in the investigation and would not issue further statements about the matter.
“Please do not associate PAOCC with flawed operations,” the commission said.
The Manila raid was led by the PNP-ACG, with support from the Manila Police District, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation.
