Philippine authorities have arrested 244 foreign nationals in a major operation targeting suspected illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) activities in the southern province of Zamboanga Sibugay.

The Bureau of Immigration described the operation as the largest POGO-related crackdown of 2026 so far, following simultaneous raids carried out on October 2 in two municipalities in the province.

The raids were conducted in Barangay Kimos in Siay and Barangay Tandiong Muslim in Alicia by the Bureau of Immigration, working with the National Bureau of Investigation and the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

At the Siay location, authorities apprehended 113 foreign nationals comprising 110 Chinese citizens, two Cambodians and one Hong Kong resident.

A further 131 foreigners were apprehended at the second location in Alicia. The immigration bureau said most were Chinese, while nationals of Malaysia, Indonesia and Myanmar were also among those detained. The identities and nationalities of some of those arrested were still being verified.

Authorities also recovered large quantities of equipment during the operations. The Bureau of Immigration said the seized items included computer monitors, thousands of mobile phones, laptops and cellular SIM cards.

A separate report citing the immigration bureau said 78 computer monitors and approximately 3,000 mobile phones were recovered from the Casa de Coco Pension House compound, alongside other technical equipment believed to have been used in illegal online operations.

The arrests form part of the Philippine government's continuing enforcement of its prohibition on POGO activities.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced the country's decision to ban POGOs in July 2024, and the government subsequently formalised the prohibition through Executive Order 74. The ban required offshore gaming operations to cease, with authorities subsequently intensifying enforcement against operators that continued to function illegally.

The country has also introduced the Anti-POGO Act of 2025, which prohibits offshore gaming operations and the establishment or operation of POGO sites in the Philippines. The Bureau of Immigration said the latest raids were carried out under the continuing enforcement of these measures.

The foreign nationals arrested are being investigated for alleged violations of Philippine immigration laws. These include allegedly working without the appropriate visas, being undocumented, possible illegal entry and suspected involvement in illegal POGO-related online activities.

Authorities are also examining whether some of those arrested may have been involved in human-trafficking-related offences.

The Bureau of Immigration stressed that any trafficking violations would have to be established through investigation by the appropriate authorities. Therefore, the arrests themselves do not establish that all those detained were involved in trafficking or other crimes.

Those found to have violated immigration laws will face deportation proceedings. According to the Bureau of Immigration, individuals who receive deportation orders will also be placed on its blacklist, preventing them from returning to the Philippines.

Immigration Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado said the agency would continue enforcing the country's immigration laws and preventing foreign nationals from using the Philippines as a base for illegal activities.

The latest operation reflects the continuing challenge facing Philippine authorities more than two years after the country announced its POGO ban. While the government has formally prohibited the industry, authorities continue to uncover suspected offshore gaming and online operations involving foreign workers.

The crackdown also comes amid wider regional concerns about illegal online scam operations in parts of Southeast Asia. Authorities in several countries have investigated networks accused of using foreign workers and, in some cases, trafficking victims to operate fraudulent online schemes.

For the Philippines, the latest arrests underline the government's continuing effort to dismantle operations that remain active despite the nationwide POGO prohibition.

Reporting by TalkNaijaMedia