DOJ recommends raps vs 2 workers of Porac POGO

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has recommended the filing of charges against two workers of the raided Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) firm in Porac, Pampanga.

In a 14-page resolution, the DOJ panel of prosecutors recommended a qualified trafficking charge to be filed against one of the respondents and a kidnapping charge against the other.

Meanwhile, the prosecutors dismissed the kidnapping and serious illegal detention and trafficking complaint filed against them.

The recommendation was in connection with the complaint filed by two Chinese nationals in July.

One complainant said he arrived in the Philippines in October 2019 and was recruited by another Chinese national to work as a chef in May 2024. He was then allegedly sold and brought to the Lucky South 99 firm in Porac where he was forced to work as a scammer.

The complainant said he was tortured when he informed them that he wanted to resign.

Meanwhile, the other complainant said he was kidnapped in June and brought to the POGO hub. He said he was tortured when his wife refused to give in to the P300,000 demand of the kidnappers. He was able to escape while still tied to a bed frame.

For its part, the DOJ said that prima facie evidence with reasonable certainty of conviction exists to indict the two Chinese nationals.

Lucky South 99 Corp. was raided by the authorities in June, rescuing more than 150 foreign nationals.

Officials have filed a qualified trafficking complaint against Cassandra Li Ong, the firm's authorized representative, and others before the DOJ. —KBK, GMA Integrated News