Could the new POGO arrest lead to a bigger plot?

 The Philippine government caught a "big fish" in the now-defunct offshore betting business last week.  Investigators are hoping that Lyu Dong will help them find other important people, maybe even government leaders.

 Armed troops and immigration officials from the Philippines arrested Dong, who is also known as Lin Xunhan, near Metro Manila on October 10.  The Chinese citizen has been called a "kingpin" of the illegal offshore betting business.

 Some Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations (POGOs) were really fronts for online scams, even though they looked like real licenses.  Pogo raids in Rizal, Angeles City, Bamban, Porac, and other places found proof of kidnapping, forced work, murder, money laundering, and even torture.

 On July 22, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. stopped the business right away.  He also told tens of thousands of foreign workers to leave the country. 

 It was said that Dong set up a "network of scam farms."
 The police say Dong has been in charge of POGO for a long time and "systematically built a network of scam farms" that look like real companies.  Winston Casio of the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) called him one of the "major financiers and pioneers" of the business.  He also said that Dong's arrest might help catch other criminals.

 Casio said, "He would probably be able to name some people, private people or even former or present government officials who may have helped him."  "He's a big fish."

 Dong is connected to the POGO, which is said to be run by Alice Guo, who used to be mayor of Bamban.  In 2022, Guo, who was born in China, reportedly pretended to be a Filipina to run for office.  At the same time, she was reportedly using money from China to fund the local POGO.

 After a raid on the POGO and being fired as mayor, Guo left the country.  After a month, she was caught in Indonesia.  Now that she is back in the Philippines, she is being charged with many things, such as fraud, money laundering, and selling people.

 Having friends in high places
 Some people think that Guo's link to Dong points to a large group of people who are plotting against him.  It could even mean that Beijing is trying to get into Philippine business and government.  The head of the POGO investigation group, Senator Risa Hontiveros, thinks Dong had "someone from the government protecting him."

 In the same way, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said Guo must have had help from powerful friends when she got away.

 Criminal POGOs may also have ties to people in or near the government.  Attorney Harry Roque, who used to be Rodrigo Duterte's spokesman, is said to have been the Porac POGO's lawyer.  This operation has also been linked to Tony Yang, who is the brother of Michael Yang, who is Duterte's business advisor.

 National security is still a worry for the Philippines.
 There is also a chance that China will try to get into the Philippine government, according to Senator JV Ejercito.  There are a lot of disagreements about who owns the land in the South China Sea, which is causing the POGO drama.

 As Ejercito put it, "If things are normal, we can handle them."  "But we're at odds with China."  They shouldn't get involved with our government.  It's possible that they have spies in the election who will work for them.

 Gary Ador Dionisio, who is in charge of the Benilde School of Diplomacy and Governance, said that Alice Guo "is just the tip of the iceberg" when it comes to how these POGOs damage our security.