DOJ says scam hubs making a comeback
MANILA – The Department of Justice admitted that there is a resurgence in scam hubs following recent raids conducted by law enforcement agencies in Zamboanga Sibugay, Quezon City, and Makati City.
Justice Undersecretary Nicholas Felix Ty however said the scam hubs are much smaller compared to the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators or POGOs raided in 2024.
“It’s possibile there is resurgence but nevertheless compared to before, mas maliit talaga, not just on the scale of their operation but also on the composition of the foreign nationals who are rescued or found within these scam hubs,” Ty said.
Ty also noted that before, other nationalities aside from Chinese were the subject of raids in scam hubs.
“Remember before sobrang international ang composition mostly Chinese, but still may Vietnamese, Indonesian, taga-Myanmar, taga-Nepal, Africa, ngayon it’s mostly Chinese iyong mga nahahanap natin,” Ty said.
Meantime, Ty welcomed the Tier 1 status of the Philippine for the 11th year in the 2026 Trafficking in Persons report of the State Department of the United States.
While trafficking remains a problem for the Philippines, Ty underscored that the US government gives importance to a country’s efforts in addressing the issue.
“Hindi nila tinitingnan iyong problema, hindi naman kailangan nabuwag ang trafficking sa isang bansa para mabigyan ng Tier 1 ranking, ang importante ay kung paano tugunan ng bansa,” Ty said.
Ty also noted that the review on the visa-free arrangement for Chinese tourists is still on-going.
Palace Press Officer Claire Castro recently referred the matter to the Department of Foreign Affairs.
Ty, who is the undersecretary-in-charge of the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking, said the DOJ is still studying its recommendation on the matter.
“Sa ngayon kinakalap pa namin iyong datos kasi gusto namin makita kung gaano kadami talaga iyong mga nag-ooverstay at natagpuan sa mga scam hubs, vis a vis iyong mga talagang legitimate na turista,” Ty said.