MANILA – The Bureau of Immigration (BI) has started deportation proceedings against 29 foreign nationals who were apprehended for running an unauthorized online gaming operation in Cavite. BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado announced that the arrests were made during a raid at a private resort in Silang town on Wednesday. The group consists of 23 Chinese and six Myanmar nationals, who are now under preliminary investigation by the BI’s Legal Division. Viado stated that the foreigners will face charges for immigration violations before the BI board of commissioners, leading to their deportation and blacklisting, which will prevent them from re-entering the Philippines. The workers were found operating various computer stations used for their illegal gaming activities. Although the PAOCC (Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission) has physical custody of the foreigners, they remain under the BI’s legal custody due to the ongoing deportation process. Additionally, the BI is considering charging the resort’s renters with harboring illegal aliens, a violation of the Philippine Immigration Act of 1940 that could result in up to 10 years imprisonment. The raid was initially aimed at capturing a Chinese fugitive believed to be hiding at the resort, but he was not found during the operation.
Deportation Looms for 29 Foreign Workers Caught in Illegal Cavite Gaming Operation
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