POGO workers being housed at high-end subdivision in Parañaque—Gordon

Hundreds of Chinese nationals working for Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) are allegedly being housed at an expensive subdivision in Parañaque, Senator Richard Gordon bared on Tuesday.

During his privilege speech, Gordon played video footage showing private buses and vans dropping off groups of Chinese nationals at different houses inside a village.

"It's a very organized operation—hiring buses, hiring cars, hiring vans, getting homes. Kumpleto talaga, mas organized pa sa gobyerno," he said.

"Seventy percent of this subdivision is now occupied. Mind you, this is not a humble subdivision, it is an upper middle class," he added.

The informant in the video, a local resident, claimed that the houses were overcrowded as some are being occupied by up to 200 Chinese nationals.

The POGO industry has been hounded by allegations of illegal activities including bribery in the Bureau of Immigration, human trafficking, and prostitution.

The senator lamented that many Chinese nationals are working and residing in the Philippines using only their tourist visas, and using the resources of the country.

"It's a creeping invasion... I'm not being Sinophobic. I'm just trying to express some concern on why there is no seeming regulation and effort to locate these people. If they have firearms, aba delikado 'yan, if they're bringing in money hinahanap ba natin 'yung pera kung saan dinala?" Gordon said.

"This is just Manila. They come in to Clark, Cebu, Davao, they go everywhere. I just want to raise the alarm bells. This is just Manila, we don't know what's going on in other areas and that's why we really have to find out what's going on," he added.

"Now can you imagine the impact on water alone? There's a shortage of water in the country, in Manila. There are about P400,000 POGO [workers], maapektuhan ang tubig natin, kuryente natin, pati basura," he said.

Gordon, chair of the Senate blue ribbon committee, recently claimed that Chinese nationals were flying in with millions of dollars in cold cash.

He warned that these may be used for money laundering and other illegal activities in the country.

Gordon said the Senate blue ribbon committee will be conducting a hearing regarding the matter on Thursday. — AOL/BM, GMA News