13-02-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
‘Pogo personalities' still linger in Philippines despite ban, critics warn
Published: 9:52pm, 13 Feb 2025 The emergence of high-profile figures in the Philippines tied to crime-linked offshore gaming hubs (Pogos) may result in a 'complicated web of syndicate rings' that may hinder government crackdown efforts, observers warn.
Philippine opposition senator Risa Hontiveros, who heads the Senate committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality that investigated alleged human trafficking and scam operations connected to Pogos, said on February 5 there remained 'evil elements' from the banned gambling firms and stressed the need to stay vigilant.
The Senate panel also recommended filing criminal charges against those that Hontiveros called 'Pogo personalities'. Filipino Senator Risa Hontiveros has led an investigation into the massive online gambling and scam operations in the country. Photo: AP These included town mayor Lisandro Calugay of Sual in Pangasinan, who allegedly helped former mayor Alice Guo , an alleged Chinese spy, escape the country; Chinese businessman Tony Yang, whom Hontiveros called the 'architect of Pogos' and was involved in several raided Pogo operations; along with other officials implicated in Guo's unnoticed departure.
Hontiveros also mentioned Wan Kuok-Koi, nicknamed 'Broken Tooth', who is said to be one of Asia's most notorious gangsters and a 14K Triad leader. He is believed to have created the 'pig-butchering scam,' where fraudsters gain their victims' trust, 'fattening them up' before convincing them to invest in cryptocurrency.
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The senator noted that a subsequent photo showed Broken Tooth with Li Duan Wang, a Chinese businessman seeking Filipino citizenship. The Senate voted 19-1 in favour of his citizenship, with only Hontiveros dissenting. Hontiveros raised concern over Li's identity and association with the Philippine Jinjiang Yu Shi Association, rumoured to be affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party 's United Front Work.
