A recent raid on a Cebu area Philippine Offshore Gambling Operator (POGO) brought big headlines, and protests from the operations lawyer, who said the operation was legitimate. Time is starting to prove that lawyer right, as Rappler reports the police chief in the area has been relieved of his duties.
Police Colonel Lito Patay, chief of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) in Central Visayas, is being relocated after the events of a September 7 raid, although authorities aren’t shy to say the incident was the reason for his move. “That was the reason for his relief,” Sinas told reporters on Wednesday, September 18. “I won’t lie so you won’t speculate,” he added.
The raid of Xin Huang Jin Chen Co. Ltd. Inc. (XHJC) resulted in 181 Chinese workers detained in a nearby gym, and the POGO accused of operating without the necessary licenses. At the time, the company’s legal representative, Jeff David, protested the raid, claiming XHJC was fully compliant with the Philippine Amusement Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR).
David appears to be proven right, as the detainees have now all been released. The Lapu-Lapu City Prosecutor’s Office dropped all charges citing a lack of probably clause.
This isn’t the only pressure the POGO industry is getting from the Philippines. The sector has been in the news lately for the unpaid taxes they owe to the country, the possibility that Chinese spies could be working in the industry, and the brothels that pop up in their service.
Rappler reveals this also isn’t the first time Patay has been relocated after causing a mess. When he was assigned to Quezon City, in the Metropolitan Manila area, his police station was responsible for over 100 deaths in President Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war. An investigation by Reuters caused Patay to be re-located to Cebu.
Tatay isn’t done yet though, as the CIDG is still willing to see what kind of impact he can have in Luzon. Police Col. Rommel Ochave will replace him in Cebu.
