Big fish: POGO kingpin captured in Laguna

To sum up:

+ Chinese national Lyu Dong, alias "Boss of all Bosses," was arrested in Laguna for leading illegal POGO operations.

+ The arrest followed eight months of surveillance by the PAOCC, AFP, and Bureau of Immigration.

+ Lyu is linked to multiple POGO hubs across various regions, including Metro Manila and Cebu.

Metro Manila, Philippines— The arrest of a Chinese national, the so-called “big boss" of illegal offshore gaming operations north of Manila, is a major blow to the criminal syndicate, the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) said on Friday, Oct. 11.

Authorities captured Lyu Dong of Lucky South 99, an offshore gaming hub in Porac, Pampanga that was the subject of a raid. Business registration documents showed the company was supposedly engaged in “the export of services by the way of business process outsourcing.”

“This is a big blow sa [to the] organization ng mga [of] POGO (Philippine offshore gaming operator) and this is also a big accomplishment for the government not only the PAOCC but of the whole government,” said PAOCC Undersecretary Gilbert Cruz in an interview with NewsWatch Plus.

[Translation: This is a big blow to the organization of POGOs, and this is also a big accomplishment for the government, not just for the PAOCC but for the entire government.]

Going by the aliases Boss Boga, Boss Apao, and Boss Hao Hao, Lyu was arrested in Biñan, Laguna late Thursday, Oct. 10. Cruz said one of Lyu's aliases means "Boss of all Bosses," and that he holds a Chinese passport.

“Lyu Dong yan pero assume name niya lang ‘yun ha. Hindi siya kilala sa Lyu Dong. Ang Chinese passport niya is Lin Xunhan. Pinanganak siya noong July 4, 1991. Ang mga ginagamit niyang pangalan: Lyu Dong, Bogo, Boss Boga, tapos Hao Hao. Hao Hao ibig sabihin noon sa Chinese is Boss of Bosses,” said Cruz.

[Translation: He’s Lyu Dong, but that’s an assumed name. He’s not really known as Lyu Dong. His Chinese passport name is Lin Xunhan. He was born on July 4, 1991. He uses the aliases: Lyu Dong, Bogo, Boss Boga, and Hao Hao. Hao Hao in Chinese means Boss of Bosses]

Apart from the Porac POGO hub, authorities have linked Lyu to POGO operations in Bamban, Tarlac, Ilocos Region, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Metro Manila, and Cebu.

The Bureau of Immigration has a standing arrest warrant and mission order on Lyu, who was taken to the PAOCC detention facility in Pasay City for questioning.

The arrest

Cruz said the arrest of Lyu took months of surveillance.

“Kaya for eight months yung trabaho yan, kasama natin yung Armed Forces of the Philippines, kasama natin ang Bureau of Immigration. So kaya nung makuha yan, Nalaman na marami pala siya nga yung taong hinahanap natin at maraming aliases na ginagamit niya,” said Cruz.

[Translation: We worked on this for eight months with the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Bureau of Immigration. So when we caught him, we found out that he really is the person we’ve been looking for and he uses many aliases.]

He said Lyu had tight security and was constantly on the move.

“Merong resources yan si Lyu Dong, si Boss Boga. May chopper sila, may mga kumpleto sila ng mga sasakyan. May bodyguards pa nga sila. And it's very hard ‘pag may mga bodyguards kasi ang nai-expect mo dyan, baka magkaroon ng encounter o mamaril yan, diba? While fleeing or escaping,” said Cruz.

[Translation: Lyu Dong has resources. They have a chopper, complete vehicles. They even have bodyguards. It’s difficult with the bodyguards because you expect the possibility of an encounter or shooting, right? While fleeing or escaping.]

Authorities arrested 12 other people, including four Chinese nationals and nine Filipinos who served as bodyguards and drivers.

Alice Guo connection?

The PAOCC said Lyu is among those protected by dismissed Bamban Mayor Alice Guo.

“Isa siya doon. Kasi yung mga pangalan na binabanggit niya [Guo] during the Senate hearings are those already filed with the cases of human and those persons na outside the Philippines alam niya na they are all out of the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong that’s why very convenient sabihin mga name na yun dahil wala dito,” Cruz said.

[Translation: He’s one of them. Because the names Guo mentioned during the Senate hearings are those already facing human trafficking cases, and she knows they are out of the Philippines, in Singapore, Taiwan, or Hong Kong. That’s why it’s convenient to name them because they’re not here.]

“Ito [Lyu] hindi niya masabi kasi alam niya na narito,” he added.

[Translation: She can’t mention Lyu because she knows he’s here.]

The PAOCC said they are still tracking other POGO leaders to dismantle illegal operations in the country.

NewsWatch Plus has reached out to the Chinese embassy, Bureau of Immigration, and Guo.