Para±aque City: The Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) is contemplating the initiation of criminal cases against the owner of a building in Para±aque City, which was recently raided due to the alleged operation of an illegal Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO).

According to Philippines News Agency, at the regular Saturday News Forum in Quezon City, PAOCC director and spokesperson Winston Casio announced the commission's intent to pursue the forfeiture of the entire building. This structure was reportedly utilized by Dan Ying Gaming Corp. for POGO activities over the past two years. Casio highlighted that the POGO operations were distributed across the fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh floors, with a security agency overseeing the premises.

Casio emphasized the significant legal challenges the building owner might face due to allowing the property to be used as a POGO hub. The owner is also at risk of being charged with human trafficking for "knowingly renting out his facility to POGO operations for the past several months."

He pointed out that the owner seemingly ignored multiple warning signs, including a suspicious PHP20 million monthly lease payment and the influx of foreign nationals entering and exiting the building. "Many foreigners were coming in and out of the building. They probably saw that there were many computers," Casio remarked, criticizing the owner's failure to fulfill social responsibility.

The raid, conducted on Thursday night at the Chinese-operated POGO hub within the ATI building near the Para±aque Integrated Terminal Exchange, resulted in the arrest of 435 POGO workers. Among those apprehended were 148 foreign nationals, including 136 Chinese, five Vietnamese, three Malaysians, two Thais, a Taiwanese, and an Indonesian.

Casio revealed that Dan Ying Gaming Corp. is allegedly owned by a "well-known" Filipino-Chinese businessman. The PAOCC is currently working to identify the beneficial owners and corporators of the gaming firm.