PBBM orders pursuit of ex-POGO syndicate for student kidnapping

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has ordered the police to pursue a criminal syndicate formerly involved in Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) operations, responsible for the kidnapping of an international student in Taguig City.

The victim, a student at an international school in Taguig, was rescued by the Philippine National Police (PNP) after being abducted on February 20.

Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jonvic Remulla confirmed that 18 of the 22 syndicate members involved are former members of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), while the remaining four leaders are Mainland Chinese.

Remulla stated that the syndicate may also have former POGO operators, with the parents of one suspect holding a license for a POGO and being a notorious operator from 2017 to 2022.

He attributed the kidnapping incident to the culture brought by POGO operations in the Philippines, characterized by perfidy and pathological behavior.

Authorities are certain the syndicate remains in the country, and the police are aware of the kidnappers' identities, residences, and hideouts.

Evidence recovered from an abandoned vehicle in Bulacan, where the victim's driver's body was found, aided the PNP Anti-Kidnapping Group in tracing the perpetrators.