The Philippine Offshore Gambling Operators (POGOs) continue to be a hot topic, even as COVID-19 grabs most of the headlines. As the country starts to debate which businesses should open when the lockdown ends, at least one POGO has been caught operating illegally, throwing everything the country knows about the industry into doubt.

A Friday night raid on April 24 in Parañaque City discovered a POGO firm staying in business, despite the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) dictating that it should have been closed, and direction from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation to suspend all operations. Police received reports of armed civilians loitering in the area, and dispatched a mobile patrol to check it out.

When the men were approached, they ran into a nearby house, where 44 Chinese nationals and 9 Filipinos were detained. Inside the house, they seized 36 laptops, 17 desktops, five guns, and PHP1.3 million ($26,000) in cash.

Mayor Edwin Olivarez was outraged by the discovery, telling media that the image of his city had been destroyed. He vowed to press charges against the group, who he said had no permission from the city to operate. He suspected the group may have persuaded local authorities to turn a blind eye to the operation.