230 scam hub workers rescued by authorities

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Authorities rescued more than 230 scam hub workers in different operations.

In a "24 Oras" report from Chino Gaston, among those rescued were the workers discovered in a scam hub in Zamboanga Sibugay.

More than 50 alleged human trafficking victims arrived at the headquarters of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in Pasay City on Wednesday, many of them Chinese nationals.

They were flown into Manila after being rescued in the towns of Siay and Alicia in Zamboanga Sibugay last Friday,

Several Chinese nationals who were acting as leaders were arrested. Authorities also arrested several security guards due to the illegal possession of firearms.

The NBI said it rescued more than 230 victims working in scam hubs in separate operations.

NBI Director Melvin Matibag said that the discovered scam hub in Zamboanga Sibugay was reportedly as expansive as the Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) hub in Tarlac under suspected Chinese spy and former Bamban Mayor Alice Guo.

"Parehas na malaki ang operation, complex ito, tapos ganun din, mayroon mga subject ng abuses, human trafficking, so ang isa na lang na ingredient na tinitingnan natin dito ang involvement ng government officials, especially yung mga local government units natin. May pananakit na na-establish, ano,” Matibag said.

(Both are large operations; it is complex, and similarly, there are those subject to abuses, human trafficking, so one of the ingredients that is missing that we are looking for is the involvement of government officials, especially our local government units. We have established that there is harm here.)

Authorities also confiscated cellphones during the operations.

One of the recruits, alias “Stephen”, was a Chinese national with a Filipina wife who was recruited into the scam operation. Stephen said that they target Chinese nationals and other people they can connect to.

Many other scam hub workers were Chinese nationals who entered the Philippines on tourist visas.

“The office asked them to do the job of scamming...some of the office is about love scam, in our office… they told us to try people to invest some money,” Stephen said.

From the custody of the NBI, the rescued workers will be transferred to the custody of the turned them over to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking. —Jean Mangaluz/LDF, GMA News