The Bureau of Immigration (BI) deported 23 Chinese nationals on November 21 for their involvement in illegal POGO activities and cyberfraud schemes. According to the BI, the foreigners have multiple immigration violations and some of them are wanted criminals in China.
Alexi Val Arciaga, chief of the deportation unit, said the group was boarded on a Philippine Airlines flight to Shanghai from NAIA Terminal 1. He added that there are deportation orders against them for involvement in POGO-like activities and fraud operations.
According to Immigration Commissioner Joel Viado, operations against foreigners involved in illegal online gaming facilities and scam hubs are ongoing. He also reminded that after the 2024 SONA, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced the total ban on POGOs, because they are connected to human trafficking, money laundering, and organized crime. This was implemented when Marcos signed Republic Act 12312 or the Anti-POGO Act of 2025, which revoked all POGO licenses, visas, and work permits to foreign workers.
