Authorities padlocked the biggest offshore gaming hub in Kawit, Cavite on Tuesday, Dec. 17, at Island Cove, a property formerly owned by the family of Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla.
The DILG chief himself led the inspection at the 30-hectare property after the hub’s permanent closure on Nov. 30.
During his Cabinet appointment in October, Remulla vowed to personally close the facility in response to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive to shut down all Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) hubs by the end of the year.
Remulla repeatedly denied links to the facility in Cavite, even putting up a P10-million reward for those who can prove his family’s ties to illegal activities. He said the family sold the property in 2018. It used to be a resort and tourist destination.
“As of last month, wala nang kuryente ang buildings. Pinatay na. Wala nang signs of habitation and wala nang signs of business,” Remulla told reporters.
First Orient International Ventures Corporation, the lessor of the POGOs in Island Cove, said around 12,000 Filipinos and 4,000 foreign nationals worked in the facility before it closed.
“Ang DOLE at ang DTI ay gumawa ng job fair para sa kanila para may mapuntahan ng trabaho,” Remulla said.
Meanwhile, the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation will inspect on Friday, Dec. 20, special class business process outsourcing (BPOs) groups suspected as fronts for illegal POGOs.
PAOCC Director Gilbert Cruz said the crackdown will focus on small-scale POGO operations.
Cruz said he coordinated with the DILG to utilize barangay units in monitoring illegal POGO activities.
“There’s a lot of indicators…Madalas nagpapa-deliver na lang ng pagkain plus nagpapadagdag ng internet connection. There’s a lot of red flags,” he said.
