菲律宾在两年前禁止其臭名昭著的离岸博彩中心（即Pogo）后，最近一次对数百名外国人的打击凸显出一种令人担忧的腐败根深蒂固的趋势，这种腐败仍然使该行业得以繁荣。
Two years after the Philippines banned its notorious offshore gaming hubs, or Pogos, a recent crackdown on hundreds of foreigners has highlighted a worrying trend of embedded corruption that still enables the sector to thrive.
九月，国家调查局突袭了马卡蒂市的一家类似呼叫中心的设施，逮捕了120多名与涉嫌非法交易和“一欲诈骗”有关的中国公民，该诈骗骗取本地和外国受害者分享露骨视频，随后用这些视频进行敲诈。
In September, the National Bureau of Investigation raided a call centre-style facility in Makati City, arresting more than 120 Chinese nationals linked to an alleged illegal trading and a “lust scam” that tricked local and foreign victims into sharing explicit videos, which were later used to blackmail them.
本月，执法行动继续，警方在南部的赞邦加西布盖省突袭了两个诈骗中心。
The enforcement blitz continued this month as police swooped down on twin scam hubs in the southern province of Zamboanga Sibugay.
此次行动被称为“最大Pogo突袭”，共逮捕了约244名外国人，主要是中国公民，还有两名柬埔寨人。移民局（BI）表示，嫌疑人在被逮捕后被安置在其中一处被突袭的物业中，正在进行身份核实，随后将被驱逐出境。
About 244 foreigners, mostly Chinese citizens along with two Cambodians, were arrested in the operation dubbed the “largest Pogo bust”. The Bureau of Immigration (BI) said the suspects were housed at one of the raided properties while undergoing identity verification before deportation.
这些外国人还被指控无有效签证工作、涉嫌参与非法网络活动、缺乏正规文件以及非法入境。
The foreigners are also accused of working without valid visas, alleged involvement in illegal online activities, lack of proper documentation and illegal entry.
前总统反有组织犯罪委员会（PAOCC）副运营主任温斯顿·卡西奥表示，最新的突袭反映出长期以来的怀疑——即Pogo势力自禁令实施以来并未完全离开该国。
The latest raids reflect a long-standing suspicion that Pogo elements have not entirely left the country since the ban, according to Winston Casio, former deputy operations director of the Presidential Anti-Organised Crime Commission (PAOCC).
PAOCC是隶属于总统办公室的机构，曾在2023-2024年期间主导了一系列全国性的Pogo突袭，揭露了人口贩运和酷刑的证据，并导致前市长郭爱丽丝因在班班设立诈骗中心的角色被监禁。
The PAOCC – an agency attached to the president’s office – spearheaded a series of nationwide Pogo raids in 2023–24, which unearthed evidence of human trafficking and torture and also led to the jailing of former mayor Alice Guo over her role in setting up a scam centre in Bamban.
卡西奥说，政府部门需要对数据进行核对，以确定最近的逮捕是新来者，还是在2024年总统费迪南德·马科斯二世宣布禁令后潜伏的外国人。
Casio said government agencies needed to reconcile their figures to determine if the recent arrests were of new arrivals or of foreign nationals who went into hiding after the 2024 Pogo ban announced by President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr.
2024年之前，至少有1万名外籍POGO（菲律宾离岸博彩运营商）工人获准在该国停留，超过了为其遣返设定的59天宽限期。
Before 2024, at least 10,000 foreign Pogo workers were granted a permit to stay in the country beyond the 59-day grace period for their repatriation.
但卡西奥引用移民局数据称，仅有8000人离开菲律宾，而不同机构估计，菲律宾曾拥有多达40万名外籍POGO工人。
But Casio, citing BI data, said only 8,000 left the Philippines, which different agencies estimate was home to up to 400,000 overseas Pogo workers.
他说：“所以数字上存在差异，且这些数字在禁令生效后从未得到核实。”《本周亚洲》已联系移民局置评。
“So there’s a discrepancy in the numbers and those numbers were never reconciled after the ban took effect,” he said. This Week in Asia has contacted BI for comment.
卡西奥表示，近期在马卡蒂市、阿利西亚和西亚伊发生的突击搜捕行动，地点均位于此前无证POGO聚集的热点区域，他指出这些业务并未“转型”，只是“隐藏在国家机构的雷达下”。他补充说，嫌疑人的被捕引发了关于其移民身份的质疑。
Casio said the recent raids in Makati City, Alicia and Siay happened in the same hotspots where unlicensed Pogos were previously located, noting that they did not “evolve and simply hid under the radar of the national agencies”. He added that the arrests of the suspects raised questions about their immigration status.
他说：“他们是在禁令颁布前进入菲律宾的吗？如果是，那么他们属于当时尚未被遣返的那部分人数……如果这些外国人是在[禁令和法律生效]后才来到菲律宾，那我们就有麻烦了。”
“Did they enter the Philippines prior to the ban? If so, then they are part of the number that had yet to be deported then …[if these foreign nationals came] to the Philippines after the [ban and the law took effect], then we have a problem,” he said.
卡西奥还呼吁审查自1月实施的、旨在促进旅游业的中国公民14天落地签政策。
Casio also called for the scrutiny of the 14-day visa on arrival scheme for Chinese nationals, enforced in January, in a bid to boost tourism.
“他们必须核查这些人何时抵达菲律宾。他们是否利用了专门给予中国公民的落地签证？”
“They have to check when these individuals arrived in the Philippines. Did they take advantage of the visa upon arrival specifically given to Chinese nationals?”
分析人士称，在当局在阿利西亚的一个帐篷内发现涉嫌诈骗分子后，这些行动仍在实施与以往相同的诈骗手段，只是适应了围绕POGO的当地政治气候。
The operations are still carrying out the same scams as before, but have simply adapted to the local political climate surrounding Pogos, analysts say, after authorities found alleged fraudsters inside a tent in Alicia.
菲律宾前信息通信技术部助理部长、现任CyberCX东盟网络顾问项目负责人艾伦·卡班隆表示：“在安全领域，我们有个概念叫‘隐藏在显而易见之处’……他们就藏在帐篷里。谁会怀疑一个帐篷里藏着如此严重规模的犯罪窝点？”
“In security, we have what is called ‘hiding in plain sight’...they’re just in a tent. Who would suspect an operation of that gravity in a tent?” said Allan Cabanlong, head of CyberCX’s Asean cyber advisers programme.
卡班隆表示，这种布局是“蓄谋已久的”，旨在方便他们轻松逃脱。
Cabanlong, who is also a former assistant secretary of the Philippines’ Department of Information and Communications Technology, said the set-up was “planned” to aid their easy escape.
他说，人工智能很可能让现有的商业模式和运作方式变得更加敏捷。
He said artificial intelligence likely made the existing business model and modus operandi more agile.
“现在有了人工智能，所以以前的诈骗手段今天变得更加猖獗，”他说。
“There’s AI now, so the scams of before are much more intense today,” he said.
“如果他们瞄准一个受害者群体，每10分钟就能触达100人……手法大同小异，只是有些更复杂、在不断改进。”卡班龙表示，资金不足、技术基础设施薄弱和腐败阻碍了马尼拉应对诈骗行业这场“数字军备竞赛”的努力。
“If they target a pool of victims, they can reach 100 per 10 minutes … the tradecraft is similar, though some are more sophisticated and improving.”Cabanlong said inadequate funding, tech infrastructure and corruption hobbled Manila’s efforts to tackle a “digital arms race” in the scam industry.
“我们承认罪犯有钱搞这些。但政府连招标采购都勉为其难，除此之外还有贪污腐败，”他说。
“We admit the criminals have money for that. But the government can barely even manage the bidding and on top of that there’s graft,” he said.
“所以如果你连建设能力、培养队伍、对抗当前诈骗手段所需的装备都采购不到，怎么能跟上形势？”卡西奥建议，与外国机构合作对于填补本地技术空白至关重要。
“So how do you catch up, if you’re not procuring what you need to build your capacity and build your workforce against current scam techniques?”Casio suggested that working with foreign agencies was crucial in filling local technological gaps.
“你必须确保追捕大老板……我们需要与外国同行协调，因为他们在追踪数字足迹和资金流向方面技术更胜一筹。”卡西奥表示，剩余的大多离岸博彩业务位于菲律宾中部和南部，使他们能逃避国家机关打击，并通过与当地官僚或执法部门勾结继续运营。
“You have to make sure you go after the big bosses … we need to coordinate with foreign counterparts because they’re more technically competent in following the digital footprint and the money trail.”Casio said most of the remaining Pogos were in the central and southern Philippines, allowing them to evade national agencies and continue the business by dealing with local bureaucrats or law enforcement.
他说，仍在运营的离岸博彩业务及其脏钱可能影响2028年大选，并腐蚀那些愿意掩护此类运营的地方政客，称这些突击行动只不过是“抓小虾米”。
He said the still-operating Pogos and their dirty money could influence the 2028 election and corrupt local politicians willing to conceal such operations, calling the raids simply “catching small fry”.
“我们讨论的这是公共腐败，纯粹简单……他们显然在寻找能庇护他们的政客，”他说。
“What we’re talking about here is public corruption, plain and simple … they’re obviously looking for politicians who could support them,” he said.
“这就是难点。他们不愿谈论真正棘手的问题，那些显而易见的大问题。咱们别自欺欺人了。”
“That’s the difficulty. They don’t want to talk about the real difficult things, the elephants in the room. Let’s not kid ourselves.”