PANABO CITY, Davao del Norte — Unknowingly, agents of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) who were supposed to rescue a Malaysian national allegedly illegally held inside a warehouse at Barangay Manay in Panabo City, Davao del Norte, found instead the clandestine operation of a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO)'s hub with 55 Chinese, three Malaysians and a Filipino under its employ.

The NBI disclosed that it still had to subpoena the land and warehouse owner of the 2-hectare property where agents had already taken possession of at least 50 computers found during the December 6 raid in Purok 6 of the aforementioned barangay.

According to the NBI’s southeastern Mindanao regional office, the agents served the search warrant on December 13 to take possession of the computers after cases of syndicated estafa and online illegal gambling in relation to Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 had been filed against the 59 workers found in the warehouse.

Ely Leano, spokesperson of the NBI regional office, said they would apply for a cyber warrant to allow the NBI data forensic officer to examine the data in the computers even as he added that they have already subpoenaed local officials, including two barangay councilors, Barangay Manay chairman Raul Mahipus and local business permit and licensing permit officials to establish how the POGO came to operate in the city.

Leano likewise disclosed that they would also subpoena and question the Davao businessman who owned the warehouse to find out whether he had any knowledge of the POGO operation in his building.