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DETAILED The Immigration Bureau on Sunday released photos of detained Chinese national Wang Keping (left) and illegal Cambodian national Cuong Moan, who were found in a house searched in Tuba, Benguet on Saturday. — Immigration Bureau
BAGUIO CITY, Philippines — Two foreigners were discovered inside a home in an upscale neighborhood in Tuba town, Benguet province, and detained Saturday as part of a government operation to arrest a Chinese woman wanted in connection with a recently raided Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) base in Bambang, Tarlac province, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said Sunday.
The subject of the arrest warrant was not inside the house, so searchers instead arrested Chinese national Wang Keping (35) and his Cambodian companion Cuong Moen (37), who were inside the home they were searching, located in the Pinewoods Golf and Country Club, an upscale residential area in Tuba, a town neighboring Baguio.
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Tuvan police confirmed the operation was led by the BI.
“The arrangement was made at the request of the Immigration Bureau and the PAOCC (Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Committee),” a response from Tuvan police to the Inquirer on Saturday said.
Police, however, did not provide any further details. [only] We have ensured the safety of the area.”
The two were arrested in a joint operation conducted by the BI’s intelligence unit in the Cordillera and the PAOCC, the BI said in a statement on Sunday.
BI spokesperson Dana Sandoval told reporters there was “no official word yet” on who owned the home.
Law enforcement agencies acted on a tip from the PAOCC that a Chinese woman targeted in a search at a pogo site in Bang Bang town that was raided last March on suspicion of human trafficking, money laundering and other illegal activities was at her home.
However, upon arriving at the Tuvan ruins, the woman was nowhere to be found, and only Kepin and Morne had been seen in the vicinity.
Illegal foreign residents
It was later discovered that Moeen was an illegal alien and had not provided proper documentation: Investigators reported that all he was able to show was a photo of what appeared to be a Cambodian passport with a visa that expired in August 2020.
Wang was found to have a work visa but could face charges under the Philippine immigration law for “harboring illegal immigrants,” the BI statement said, citing Fortunato Manahan, information chief of the bureau of immigration in the Cordillera.
Both foreigners will be transferred to Manila and temporarily detained at the PAOCC facility pending deportation proceedings.
BI has remained silent about the ownership of the Pinewoods mansion, but photos posted by media outlets who participated in the raid indicate that the home belongs to a prominent member of the country, a detail that The Inquirer was unable to independently verify at press time.
The property once attracted attention in the neighborhood because it was frequented by “Chinese-looking” guests, including some motorbike riders, according to a Pinewoods resident who spoke Sunday with a local lawyer, who asked not to be identified in this article.
No to pogo
Baguio City Councilor Jose Molindas said rumors were circulating a few weeks ago about a proposal to build a pogo facility or casino in Tuding, a barangay in Itogon town in Benguet province, neighboring Baguio.
In a local television broadcast last month, Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong ordered the city police to investigate the emergence of pogo rings in the summer capital.
“PAGCO (Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation) cannot issue pogo licenses here without the approval of the local government,” he said during People’s Television’s Ilocano news broadcast on June 21.
The mayor also said he was approached by gambling advocates three years ago who wanted to open a pogo in the city, “using a lot of bridges, including friends,” but Mayor Magallon turned down the offer.
“Baguio is a city with character,” he noted, meaning the city promotes positive morals.
Baguio city also banned casinos while it was recovering after being devastated by the July 16, 1990 Luzon earthquake.