Garcia: Cebu City ‘Pogo free’

OUTGOING Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia has declared Cebu City free from Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (Pogo) activities, even as authorities recently apprehended 17 foreign nationals involved in large-scale scamming operations.

Garcia made this assurance when sought for comment regarding the 17 individuals who were apprehended at Maria Luisa Estate Park on May 15, 2025.

Garcia clarified that the illegal activities of the foreign nationals were primarily fraud, not Pogo-related.

“Definitely, this is not related to Pogo, it’s just fraud. This is a new type of crime that we see now,” he said.

Garcia said the suspects likely operated from one location, making calls to scam their targets, who he believes were not necessarily Filipinos but foreign nationals.

“They’re just using the Philippines as a venue for them to do their sinister moves,” he added.

Garcia assured that police will continue to arrest individuals involved in similar illegal activities. 

“True and indeed, it is really Pogo-free. We have not heard of Pogo in Cebu City,” he said.

Arrest warrants 

Previously, 17 Taiwanese nationals consisting of 16 males and one female were apprehended by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) at the posh subdivision on May 15. 

NBI-Cybercrime Department executive officer Van Angluban, in an interview on May 16 explained that the operation, assisted by the Taiwanese police attaché, initially targeted three individuals but led to the discovery of additional suspects.

All six initial targets had existing arrest warrants in Taiwan.

Angluban identified the arrested individuals as members of the “Four Seas Gang,” an organized criminal group from Taiwan allegedly operating in the Philippines and targeting Malaysian and Chinese nationals through “romance scams.” 

Taiwanese Attaché Matt Shen corroborated the gang’s organized syndicate nature.

The arrested Taiwanese nationals face charges in Taiwan for money laundering, conversion and drug-related crimes. 

In the Philippines, they may face charges for computer-related forgery under Republic Act (RA) 10175, economic sabotage and social engineering schemes under RA 12010, or the Anti-Financial Account Scamming Act. 

As of May 16, the suspects remained detained at the NBI 7 Regional Office.
 / JPS