Philippines arrests 244 foreigners in largest 2026 POGO raid
Raids on Philippines became the largest after POGO ban, while offshore demand fell more than 20% YoY.
On 2 October the Bureau of Immigration, with the NBI and the Armed Forces, raided two Zamboanga Sibugay sites tied to banned POGO work.
First raid — Barangay Kimos in Siay
Second raid — Barangay Tandiong Muslim in Alicia
Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado called the raids the largest POGO bust of 2026. The missions apply Executive Order No. 74 of 2024, which ordered POGO sites to close, and the Anti-POGO Act of 2025.
Teams took 78 monitors and about 3,000 phones from the Casa de Coco Pension House compound. The Bureau is checking identities, will run deportation cases, and will put deportees on its blacklist. It is also coordinating on possible human trafficking offences.
Onshore search on the Philippines more than doubled, while offshore fell from 37% to 15.2%.
Monthly CEB finished September with offshore at 37.9% of the print, almost the same dollar figure as a year earlier, while onshore took the growth.
The raid hit compounds after the 2024 POGO ban. Onshore demand took the year, and offshore CEB held almost the same dollar print.
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