The Philippine National Police told a Senate hearing on Thursday that there have been a total of 73 casino-related kidnappings in the past three years, including two in 2020.
Speaking at the Senate blue ribbon committee’s hearing into alleged money laundering and other crimes linked with the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) industry, PNP Deputy Director for Operations Lt. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar noted that the number of cases had risen recently, up from 17 casino-related kidnapping incidents in 2017 to 16 cases in 2018 and 38 cases in 2019, according to the Inquirer.
Those cases involved a total of 80 victims, of which 42 were in 2019 and two so far this year. All were Chinese nationals. The PNP had arrested 142 suspects associated with the kidnappings, it added.
Eleazar also said the PNP had launched 10 police operations against prostitution dens involving foreign nationals, resulting in the arrests of 60 suspects including 59 Chinese nationals.
Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon has described the cost-benefit of the POGO industry as “not worth it.”
“The fees generated by PAGCOR is less than one third of 1% of our economy, yet all these social problems really point to the policy of stopping POGOs, because it is not worth what we see of adverse effects on society,” he said.
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