Philippine police claim Pogo crackdown is working, but admit kidnappings will never stop
- The number of kidnappings in the gambling sector has dipped recently, which Metro Manila’s police chief credits to an intensive crackdown
- But fresh claims by a Filipino senator of an alleged Pogo-related abduction suggests the crime spree isn’t over. ‘If we don’t act now, more victims will follow,’ she warns
Earlier this month, Police Brigadier General Jonnel Estomo, who oversees police operations in Metro Manila, said there were no reports of kidnappings in the past two months, even though “I expect kidnappings to continue happening for as long as there are Pogos [Philippine offshore gaming operators]”.
On December 13, the Philippine police force released crime statistics showing that from January 1 to November 13 this year, there was a 2.66 per cent drop in so-called index crimes such as murder, rape, serious assault, car theft and robbery.
Estomo said kidnappings, which used to be rampant in the nation’s capital region, had declined “because I made many interventions”.
“I required all [27] Pogos to register all their employees in all police stations. In short, we know all the names of their employees,” Estomo said.
“I also talked to all the Pogo owners and told them to stop all those kidnappings … I increased police visibility in crime-prone areas and asked force multipliers like the village chiefs, village guards and private security guards [in commercial establishments] for help.”
However, a day later Philippine Senator Grace Poe “raised the alarm” over another abduction case related to Pogos.