The recent revelations surrounding Lucky South 99 Outsourcing Incorporated have sent chain reactions that exposed the dark side of illegal Philippine offshore gaming operations (POGOs).
Reports from the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) revealed rampant kidnappings, killings, and other heinous crimes linked to this rogue POGO in Porac, Pampanga.
Prior to Porac, a raid was initially conducted at the Clark Freeport Zone that stemmed from an alleged human trafficking. The Bamban POGO followed which led to various controversies surrounding its mayor, Alice Guo.
That’s just in Pampanga and its nearby province, Tarlac. How many more are the POGOs at this countryside?
PAOCC spokesperson Winston Casio underscored the urgent need for decisive action against Lucky South 99 and other POGOs to shut down its industry.
Reports of killings, kidnappings, human trafficking, and torture leave no room for doubt about the depravity of its operation. The gruesome videos of tortured foreign nationals serve as a stark reminder of the horrors endured by the victims.
Lucky South 99 also operates without a valid internet gaming license (IGL) from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), blatantly flying in the face of the law enforcers and local officials that exploits the vulnerabilities profit. The focus of PAOCC’s efforts on combating sex trafficking, illegal detention, and torture only stresses the urgency of shutting down its entire industry completely.
The recent rescue operation has already scratched the surface of these POGOs too many times. The discovery of kidnapped individuals such as the female Chinese victim abducted from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport and the Chinese male torture victim handcuffed in a metal frame bed only stresses the urgent call to stop POGOs.
POGOs have become a shadow of a bigger monster that is hiding underneath.
The leakage of the raid operation raises troubling questions about potential alliance or negligence within law enforcement agencies or even local government units. Isn’t that an alarming possibility? It is imperative now that a thorough investigation must be conducted to uncover any lapses and ensure accountability for those responsible.
We cannot turn a blind eye to such operations such as that of the Lucky South 99.