UNODC or The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and PAOCC or the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission held a meeting last May 6. This follows a series of raids on POGO or Philippine offshore gaming operators and text scam companies.
Daniele Marchesi, the UNODC country manager emphasized the importance of identifying the gaps to strengthen cooperation across borders and assess trends on a regional level.
Marchesi said that this requires an all-government, all sector approach in identifying gaps as well as finding support and right solutions. To understand money laundering, anti-corruption, cybercrime, and looking at different points of views and areas to assess and identify the trend and problem at the national and regional level.
Winston Casio, PAOCC spokesperson said that the current number of Filipino workers employed in scam companies have reached an alarming rate.
He added that they have enrolled thousands of cellphones with foreign sim cards for foreign banks and successfully sent and received money by authenticating transactions through cellphones and one-time passwords or OTPs.
Casio also said that the Philippine government spends 35 million pesos on each raid operation. The PAOCC spends 72,000 pesos for food, utilities, medical bills, and deportation for every foreigner detained.
However, according to Casio, the expenses can be recovered after confiscating assets and properties of the POGO facilities.
According to PAOCC and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation, in the country, a total of 402 online scam companies, 251 internet gaming licensees, 49 service providers, and 19 special class business process outsourcing companies are still operating in the country.
