Spying not ruled out at suspected Pogo hub near military camp

MANILA, Philippines — Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. on Wednesday left open the possibility that a suspected illegal Philippine offshore gaming operator (Pogo) hub near Camp Aguinaldo and Camp Crame was used for spying, saying forensic examination of recovered materials would help establish its activities.

“All possibilities are open,” Teodoro said in an online interview with reporters when asked whether the hub could have been used to spy on the military headquarters and the defense establishment.

He said the site was near both Camp Aguinaldo, the Armed Forces of the Philippines headquarters, and Camp Crame, the Philippine National Police headquarters.

He had yet to receive a report establishing the scope of the suspected scamming operation.

READ: Pogo raids suggest Guo’s ‘networks’ still covertly operating – Hontiveros

The remarks followed an Oct. 12 raid in Barangay Socorro, Quezon City, where authorities apprehended 76 people, mostly Chinese nationals, according to AFP spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla.

In a separate DZMM interview, Padilla said the AFP supported the Bureau of Immigration in the operation against the suspected illegal Pogo hub.

She said those apprehended were being investigated for alleged violations of immigration laws and the law banning Pogos. Myanmar nationals were also among them, she added, but deferred the exact nationality breakdown to the BI.

Forensic findings

Teodoro said investigators would examine the materials recovered from the site before determining what activities had taken place. He did not confirm that the hub had been used for espionage.

Padilla likewise said the evidence would determine whether the case involved violations beyond immigration offenses and suspected online scams.

Asked about possible protectors holding government positions, she said investigators would examine all angles, including wider national security implications. She did not identify any official suspected of protecting the operation.

Teodoro said it was too early to determine possible lapses that allowed the hub to operate.

He noted that the site was a commercial building outside the military’s jurisdiction, rather than a restricted facility. Questions about its establishment and operation would form part of the investigation, he said.

READ: China alone is the troublemaker in the region – Teodoro

Embassy criticism

The Chinese embassy in Manila on Wednesday criticized Teodoro over the detention of Chinese nationals and his remarks about Chinese teachers and local Chinese communities.

It characterized the detained nationals as “unarmed Chinese workers” and accused the defense chief of going after “innocent Chinese teachers and local Chinese communities.”

“Is this what a defense secretary is supposed to be doing? And does this knee-jerk anti-China obsession really make the Philippines any safer?” the embassy said.

Padilla said the BI led the Quezon City operation, with the AFP providing personnel through its National Capital Region Command. She deferred details of the surveillance preceding the raid to the BI, saying the bureau should provide the operational particulars.

Smaller operations

Teodoro also warned that large scam hubs were breaking into smaller, dispersed units, requiring stronger detection efforts across government agencies.

“They are spreading, not increasing in number, but breaking into smaller units,” he said.

He clarified that he was describing the fragmentation and dispersal of large operations, not an increase in their number.

Padilla said the AFP remained alert to the possibility of similar activities elsewhere and would continue assisting other agencies in surveillance and enforcement when needed.

The disposition of those apprehended would depend on the evidence and circumstances of each case, she said.

Deportation and other actions would follow the applicable procedures and investigative findings.

She also deferred to the BI on whether any Filipinos were among those apprehended, saying she had not received information confirming that there were.

Meanwhile, Teodoro said the government was working to relocate agencies within Camp Aguinaldo that regularly served civilians — including the Office of Civil Defense, National Defense College of the Philippines and Philippine Veterans Affairs Office — to unrestricted locations.

He said this would allow them to continue serving the public while maintaining security restrictions at the military headquarters. /das