3-7-2023 (MANILA) The law firm representing a Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) at the center of a recent raid in Las Piñas is demanding the release of 13 injured foreigners who were allegedly harmed during the operation. In a letter addressed to high-ranking officials of the Philippine National Police (PNP), lawyer Ananias Vargas of Vargas Law claimed that three of the foreigners suffered severe physical injuries, while one sustained a gunshot wound during the raid on June 26. The operation resulted in the rescue of over 2,700 suspected victims of human trafficking, including Filipinos and foreigners.
The letter, directed to Maj. Gen. Edgar Okubo of the National Capital Region Police Office, Brig. Gen. Sidney Hernia of the Anti-Cybercrime Group, and Maj. Gen. Jon Arnaldo of the PNP Directorate for Intelligence, strongly condemned what the lawyer described as “police brutality” against unarmed foreign nationals. Vargas disputed the claim made in the PNP’s press statement that the use of force was necessary to prevent escape.
Furthermore, Vargas criticized the PNP’s refusal to allow an ambulance to enter the compound of Xinchuang Network Technologies to transport the seriously injured foreigners to the nearest medical facility. The law firm had previously called for the immediate release of the foreigners and threatened to file criminal, civil, and administrative cases against the authorities involved.
In addition to the raid in Las Piñas, the PNP conducted searches in seven other buildings within the POGO hub to gather information on the profiles of the 1,284 rescued foreigners before facilitating their repatriation to their respective embassies. Meanwhile, the Filipino individuals found in the compound have already been released.
