Pasay POGO workers plead ‘not guilty’ to SRC violation charge

Mike Navallo, ABS-CBN News

MANILA — Twenty-three workers apprehended during a raid in a Pasay City POGO hub early this month pleaded “not guilty” to the criminal charge of violating the Securities Regulation Code, the lawyer of some of the accused told ABS-CBN News Wednesday.Lawyer Gloria Quintos, who represents 16 of the accused, said all her clients, who attended through videoconference, pleaded not guilty to violating section 28.1 of the Securities Regulation Code (Republic Act 8799) in relation to the Cybercrime Prevention Act (RA 10175).Section 28.1 of the SRC prohibits a person from engaging “in the business of buying or selling securities in the Philippine as a broker or dealer, or act as a salesman, or an associated person of any broker or dealer unless registered as such with the [Securities and Exchange] Commission.”Twenty-eight foreigners are accused of engaging in cyberscams, luring victims online to invest their money.The POGO hub in Pasay previously had a license from PAGCOR to facilitate online gambling but was cancelled after the raid when it was found to be engaged in illegal gambling and other fraudulent activities.Of the 28, only 23 were arraigned on Wednesday with the help of an accredited Chinese translator from the Chinese Embassy, Quintos said.The 5 others asked to defer their arraignment in order to secure interpreters accredited by the Office of the Court Administrator, she added.Aside from the Chinese, some of the accused came from Myanmar and Malaysia.All of them are currently detained at a Bureau of Jail Management and Penology facility in Bicutan.<ul class='op-related-articles'>	<li><a href='https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/08/24/23/chinese-na-nakatakas-sa-pogo-raid-sa-pasay-tinutugis-pa-rin'>Chinese na nakatakas sa POGO raid sa Pasay tinutugis pa rin</a></li></ul><figure class='op-interactive'><iframe height='315' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/DupeE03b-Hg?enablejsapi=1' width='560'></iframe></figure><div class='iwantbar'>Watch more News on <a href='https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news' target='_blank'>iWantTFC</a></div>Meanwhile, Quintos said she has yet to hear from one of her clients who was reported to have escaped from the SKK Global Support Building in Pasay City.“Yung nawawala kong client is not around. He cannot be located as of this time…No communication at all after the time that he was missing,” she told reporters.She added, the court issued a show cause order to the operating agencies to explain how her client went missing.The Department of Justice (DOJ) has ordered a manhunt for the missing POGO worker who was believed to have escaped from the POGO facility.Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla on Tuesday said he was aware of the missing POGO worker’s identity. “I have the identity but still being sought after by the fugitives unit. We are asking the NBI to get into the act,” he said.He added that they were still investigating what exactly happened.“We are sifting through the evidence because we are getting conflicting reports but we will be able to discern properly through the days, depending on the details that come into us in the next few days,” he said.The department had cited the lack of space in Immigration detention facilities as the reason why POGO workers had to be kept inside the SKK building while waiting for trial.Aside from the 28 transferred to the BJMP facility, some POGO workers had also been moved to the Immigration detention facility while the rest are still in the POGO hub.Pre-trial for the violation of the Securities Regulation Code charge is set on September 6, Wednesday.Meanwhile, a separate complaint for violation of the Cybercrime Prevention Act against the 28 POGO workers is still pending with the DOJ.Detained for almost a month now, her clients, Quintos said, were hoping to be released soon.“They’re all okay but of course they all want to go out. We were trying to find ways in order for them to post bail or whatever,” she said.Quintos said they have filed habeas corpus petitions in court to question their continued detention but their petitions have been denied. <ul class='op-related-articles'>	<li><a href='https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/08/08/23/doj-28000-sim-cards-from-pogo-hub-raid-possibly-used-in-scams'>DOJ: 28,000 SIM cards from POGO hub raid possibly used in scams</a></li>	<li><a href='https://news.abs-cbn.com/video/news/08/17/23/millions-of-cash-pre-registered-sim-cards-seized-in-pogo-hub'>Authorities seize millions of pesos in cash, pre-registered SIM cards in vaults of raided POGO hub in Pasay City</a></li></ul>

The POGO hub in Pasay previously had a license from PAGCOR to facilitate online gambling but was cancelled after the raid when it was found to be engaged in illegal gambling and other fraudulent activities.Of the 28, only 23 were arraigned on Wednesday with the help of an accredited Chinese translator from the Chinese Embassy, Quintos said.The 5 others asked to defer their arraignment in order to secure interpreters accredited by the Office of the Court Administrator, she added.Aside from the Chinese, some of the accused came from Myanmar and Malaysia.All of them are currently detained at a Bureau of Jail Management and Penology facility in Bicutan.<ul class='op-related-articles'>	<li><a href='https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/08/24/23/chinese-na-nakatakas-sa-pogo-raid-sa-pasay-tinutugis-pa-rin'>Chinese na nakatakas sa POGO raid sa Pasay tinutugis pa rin</a></li></ul><figure class='op-interactive'><iframe height='315' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/DupeE03b-Hg?enablejsapi=1' width='560'></iframe></figure><div class='iwantbar'>Watch more News on <a href='https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news' target='_blank'>iWantTFC</a></div>Meanwhile, Quintos said she has yet to hear from one of her clients who was reported to have escaped from the SKK Global Support Building in Pasay City.“Yung nawawala kong client is not around. He cannot be located as of this time…No communication at all after the time that he was missing,” she told reporters.She added, the court issued a show cause order to the operating agencies to explain how her client went missing.The Department of Justice (DOJ) has ordered a manhunt for the missing POGO worker who was believed to have escaped from the POGO facility.Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla on Tuesday said he was aware of the missing POGO worker’s identity. “I have the identity but still being sought after by the fugitives unit. We are asking the NBI to get into the act,” he said.He added that they were still investigating what exactly happened.“We are sifting through the evidence because we are getting conflicting reports but we will be able to discern properly through the days, depending on the details that come into us in the next few days,” he said.The department had cited the lack of space in Immigration detention facilities as the reason why POGO workers had to be kept inside the SKK building while waiting for trial.Aside from the 28 transferred to the BJMP facility, some POGO workers had also been moved to the Immigration detention facility while the rest are still in the POGO hub.Pre-trial for the violation of the Securities Regulation Code charge is set on September 6, Wednesday.Meanwhile, a separate complaint for violation of the Cybercrime Prevention Act against the 28 POGO workers is still pending with the DOJ.Detained for almost a month now, her clients, Quintos said, were hoping to be released soon.“They’re all okay but of course they all want to go out. We were trying to find ways in order for them to post bail or whatever,” she said.Quintos said they have filed habeas corpus petitions in court to question their continued detention but their petitions have been denied. <ul class='op-related-articles'>	<li><a href='https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/08/08/23/doj-28000-sim-cards-from-pogo-hub-raid-possibly-used-in-scams'>DOJ: 28,000 SIM cards from POGO hub raid possibly used in scams</a></li>	<li><a href='https://news.abs-cbn.com/video/news/08/17/23/millions-of-cash-pre-registered-sim-cards-seized-in-pogo-hub'>Authorities seize millions of pesos in cash, pre-registered SIM cards in vaults of raided POGO hub in Pasay City</a></li></ul>

Section 28.1 of the SRC prohibits a person from engaging “in the business of buying or selling securities in the Philippine as a broker or dealer, or act as a salesman, or an associated person of any broker or dealer unless registered as such with the [Securities and Exchange] Commission.”Twenty-eight foreigners are accused of engaging in cyberscams, luring victims online to invest their money.

MANILA — Twenty-three workers apprehended during a raid in a Pasay City POGO hub early this month pleaded “not guilty” to the criminal charge of violating the Securities Regulation Code, the lawyer of some of the accused told ABS-CBN News Wednesday.Lawyer Gloria Quintos, who represents 16 of the accused, said all her clients, who attended through videoconference, pleaded not guilty to violating section 28.1 of the Securities Regulation Code (Republic Act 8799) in relation to the Cybercrime Prevention Act (RA 10175).

Twenty-three POGO workers apprehended during a raid in Pasay pleaded 'not guilty' to the criminal charge of violating the Securities Regulation Code.

Pasay POGO workers plead ‘not guilty’ to SRC violation charge | ABS-CBN News

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Pasay POGO workers plead ‘not guilty’ to SRC violation charge

Pasay POGO workers plead ‘not guilty’ to SRC violation charge