The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) will summon officials of two local government units in Zamboanga Sibugay to explain how a large-scale illegal online gaming operation managed to operate in their area, as investigators look into possible involvement by local officials.
NBI Director Atty. Melvin Matibag said the bureau would invite officials from the towns of Alicia and Siay to shed light on the operation, which authorities have described as the largest Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) bust in the province.
Investigators are examining whether local officials had any role in the operation, which was uncovered two years after the government banned POGOs, Matibag said.
The investigation does not establish that any local official was involved in the illegal activity. Authorities have yet to disclose specific evidence implicating any official.
The NBI is also checking whether similar operations are running elsewhere in Mindanao, the Visayas and the National Capital Region (NCR), raising questions about the possible reach of illegal online gaming and scam networks despite the nationwide ban.
The crackdown on October 2 involved simultaneous raids in Barangay Kimos in Siay and Barangay Tandiong Muslim in Alicia, conducted by the NBI, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) and other law enforcement personnel.
The BI reported that 244 foreign nationals, mostly Chinese, were apprehended during the operations.
The agency described the crackdown as the largest POGO bust of 2026.Authorities also recovered thousands of mobile phones, computers, laptops and other technical equipment suspected of being used in online gaming or scam activities.
The NBI’s Organized and Transnational Crime Division led the investigation, with the raids carried out under separate mission orders issued by the BI.
Investigators are examining whether the facilities were also used for online scam operations and troll farm activities.
The presence of hundreds of foreign nationals and a substantial volume of electronic equipment has raised questions about how the facilities were established, what permits or documents they obtained, and whether authorities had been alerted to their activities before the raids.
Possible anti-graft violations
Matibag said investigators would look into possible violations of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, including whether government officials participated in or helped facilitate the operations.
The NBI plans to obtain documents related to the construction and operation of the facilities, according to a report by the Daily Tribune.
Read the report.The inquiry could examine what permits were issued, which offices processed them, and whether local officials fulfilled their responsibilities in monitoring establishments operating within their jurisdictions.
However, the decision to summon officials is part of the investigation and does not, by itself, establish wrongdoing. No specific local official has been publicly identified in the information provided as having participated in the illegal operation.
Two years after the POGO ban
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced a nationwide ban on POGOs in his State of the Nation Address on July 22, 2024. Executive Order No. 74, issued in November 2024, formalized the prohibition and directed law enforcement agencies to intensify their crackdown on illegal offshore gaming operations.
Read Executive Order No. 74.The discovery of suspected illegal gaming hubs in Zamboanga Sibugay underscores the enforcement challenges facing authorities after the ban.
Beyond the arrests, the investigation will need to establish who financed and managed the facilities, whether workers were engaged in online gambling or other illicit activities, and whether any public officials knowingly allowed the operations to continue.
The NBI is also checking for similar facilities in other parts of the country, including Mindanao, the Visayas and Metro Manila.
For residents of Alicia and Siay, the investigation’s findings could help clarify how operations of this scale took root in their communities — and whether any officials entrusted with enforcing the law failed in that duty.
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