The Philippine National Police has filed criminal charges against five Chinese nationals before the Department of Justice in relation to the raid of seven Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) establishments in Las Piñas City early this week.

In a statement on Saturday, PNP chief information officer Brig. Gen. Redrico Maranan said cases of human trafficking and violations of the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 were filed against Li Jiacheng, Xiao Liu, Yan Jiayong, Duan Haozhuan, and LP Hongkun.

Maranan had stressed that the police operation was legitimate and was carried out on orders of a competent court, following allegations of human rights violations in the June 27 operations against Xinchuang Network Technologies.

The raid led to the rescue of more than 2,700 alleged POGO workers, around 1,500 of them Filipinos while the rest are foreigners mostly from countries in Southeast Asia and the Middle East.

“The judge issued the warrants after she had personally examined the complainants, and witnesses through a personal searching inquiry, and that she was convinced by the applicant and the pieces of evidence presented before her. Based on existing laws, no search warrant shall be issued except when there is a probable cause,” he said.

An additional 299 agents from the Anti-Cybercrime Group and the National Capital Region Police Office have been deployed for the continuous implementation of search warrants against Xinchuang.

All rescued Filipinos have been sent home while there are still 1,284 foreigners under custody for processing, like obtaining personal profiles, travel history, and status for documentation purposes prior to their turnover to their respective embassies, Maranan said.

He said human rights officers ensure that the rescued victims are respected and protected at all times, while representatives from the Department of Social Welfare and Development provide food packs. (PNA)