THE Chinese Embassy in Manila reaffirmed its support for China-Philippine law enforcement cooperation, a day after 36 of its citizens were deported for their involvement in illegal Philippine offshore gaming operations (POGOs).
“The Embassy will continue its support of China-Philippine law enforcement cooperation to safeguard social, economic, and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries,” the Chinese Embassy said in a statement posted on its Viber account on Saturday, October 14
Prior to being deported on Friday, the 36 Chinese were arrested in Pasay City in August.
The Chinese Embassy said that on August 1, a raid led by the Philippine Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (Paocc) was conducted on Rivendell Global Gaming Corp.
Upon request from the Paocc, the Chinese Embassy in Manila verified the identity of the Chinese as among the employees and issued travel documents.
Beijing helped Manila shut down three illegal gambling hubs and deported nearly 400 Chinese citizens, the embassy said, as it urged the Philippine government to take strong measures to crack down on such activities.
“Crimes induced by online gambling harm not only China’s interests and China-Philippine relations but also the interests of the Philippines,” the Chinese Embassy said.
The embassy cited how the law enforcement cooperation with the Philippines exposed some illegal offshore gaming employees who “abused Philippine judicial procedures by fabricating cases in the Philippines to avoid repatriation.”
It said that China is “willing to further cooperate with the Philippines in dealing with such situations to ensure laws are enforced and justice served.”
