Shattering of POGOs Leads to Drop in Chinese Nationals Kidnappings

The Philippines and China were at each other’s throats over whether the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) must go. 

China fulminated against kidnappings that were perpetuated by POGOs who were ostensibly offering job-seekers cushy positions in the industry, but who in many cases turned out to be fronts for various illegal activities, including pig-butchering scams, money-laundering, and illegal gambling websites.

Fatal Incidents Involving Chinese Citizens, Kidnappings Drop Significantly 

Worse still, many Chinese nationals ended up kidnapped and forced to work against their will. While China has collaborated with the Philippines on the issue, the country finally managed to get its way and saw its Southeast Asian neighbor ban POGOs altogether.

The upshot, argues the Chinese embassy, is that the rate of kidnapped citizens has fallen by 50% since the ban was enacted on January 1, 2025. Even more importantly, the fatality rate has further declined 80%, a significant milestone by any reasonable estimate. 

A meeting between Chinese ambassador Jing Quan and Benjamin Acorda Jr, executive director of the PAOCC, the Philippines’watchdog that deals with organized crime, was an opportunity to discuss the progress made in both uprooting illegal gambling as well as protecting Chinese nationals from crime. 

China Seeks to Collaborate with the Philippines on Fighting Crime

The Chinese embassy also issued an official statement in which it thanked the Philippines’ law enforcement for helping protect its citizens. The embassy added that the two countries were looking to collaborate even more closely and combat other forms of crime. 

“They agreed to further strengthen the mechanism for China-Philippines law enforcement cooperation, jointly combat transnational crime, and provide more solid safeguards for promoting normal personnel exchanges and economic and trade cooperation between the two countries,” the statement said.  

China has often gotten its way in the region, especially when the country perceived a threat to its citizenry. In early January, China worked with Cambodia to have Chen Zhi, a billionaire businessman accused of running a massive cryptocurrency scam, extradited. He is most likely going to face the death penalty back home.