In Pasay City, a Philippine Overseas Gaming Operator (POGO) company faced a weekend crackdown by an anti-human trafficking task force, led by the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) and the Department of Justice.

Within the complex, there was a fully-equipped nine-room KTV lounge, a pharmacy staffed with a doctor and accommodating two patient beds, a restaurant, and a dedicated hotpot “shabu-shabu” area.

Approximately 731 individuals, among them seven Filipinas, were liberated from an aquarium-style viewing chamber located on the massage parlor’s second floor within the building.

The PAOCC intends to propose the revocation of Smart Web Technology Corp.’s temporary license as an Internet Gaming License (IGL) operator due to its involvement in permitting human trafficking on its premises. Consequently, the PAOCC has indicated that the building and other assets owned by the aforementioned IGL may be subject to freezing and potential confiscation as illicit proceeds.

Smart Web was among two POGOs that had their licenses revoked by the Philippine gaming regulator PAGCOR but were subsequently found operating under a new business name and a new PAGCOR IGL.

According to the PAOCC, prior to the operation, PAGCOR personnel had attempted to inspect the area but were denied entry by the compound’s security personnel.