Zamboanga Sibugay raids cited in push for border security systems upgrade

MANILA, Philippines — The arrest of 244 foreign nationals in two recent simultaneous anti-POGO operations by the Bureau of Immigration (BI) in Zamboanga Sibugay highlights the kind of transnational crime and immigration abuse that the proposed Civil Aviation and Immigration Security Services (CAISS) seeks to address.

According to Securiport LLC Chief Technology Officer Nate Carpenter, global discussions through UN resolutions, working groups and facilitation panels have converged on one key principle — collecting the right data as early as possible is the most effective way to combat transnational crime.

“What countries are talking about, and this is through UN resolutions, working groups, facilitation panels, etc., is that the most important way to combat this crime is to make sure we’re collecting the right data. The government is collecting the right data during travel, and is getting that data as early as possible,” Carpenter told reporters in an online interview on the sidelines of the recent 21st International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Traveler Identification Program (TRIP) Symposium in Montreal, Canada.

The annual event from September 22-24 brought together representatives from passport and civil-registry offices, border control and law enforcement, aviation security and public health, airlines and airports, international organizations, and industry experts from around the world to explore ways to make travel safer, more secure, and more seamless.

He said the old model of screening travelers only at the immigration booth is being replaced by pre-travel data collection, where travelers submit their passport, photo, and other information through an electronic travel authorization— sometimes a month before their trip. Once CAISS is implemented, first-time travelers will need to be fully registered, but subsequent crossings could be dramatically faster.

“A trained officer in our system can usually do that in about one minute the first time, but after that... especially if the traveler uses the contactless corridor technology where they register themselves before they arrive, and that there are no problems found for them, border crossing can be three to five seconds,” Carpenter said.

The United Nations ICAO-compliant CAISS, a proposed P10.74-billion Public-Private Partnership project under review, will add face, fingerprint and iris biometrics, pre-travel mobile applications, and automated border control technologies such as e-gates, kiosks and contactless corridors.

“Having a mobile application, allowing the traveler to collect data before they travel and send that to the government is essential,” he added.

He said: “Adding automated border control, or ABC technology, to the border- e-gates, kiosks, contactless corridors that just use your face only to let you cross. Those are absolutely critical technologies to adopt.”

Carpenter emphasized that AI will assist — not replace — human judgment.

“AI can help make sense of that data to turn it into an easily digestible picture of the traveler, their patterns, the risks they may pose. The officer can then drill into what’s necessary, use their human judgment and their sovereign authority to make those decisions,” he said, noting that long-term partnerships are key to delivering sustained value to the government.

With faster processing, earlier risk detection, and continuous technology upgrades, CAISS is framed as a modern border-security solution that protects travelers and strengthens the Philippines’ defenses against human trafficking, drug smuggling, terrorism, and other transnational crimes — even as the BI continues to pursue illegal POGO operators and foreign nationals violating immigration laws.

The previously mentioned raids were conducted in Barangay Kimos, Siay, and Barangay Tandiong Muslim, Alicia, under separate mission orders. In Siay, BI teams arrested 113 foreign nationals — 110 Chinese, two Cambodians, and one Hong Kong national. In Alicia, 131 foreign nationals were apprehended, mostly Chinese, along with nationals from Malaysia, Indonesia, and Myanmar.

The foreigners are under investigation for alleged immigration violations, including working without the proper work visa in violation of Section 37(a)(7) of Commonwealth Act No. 613, as amended. They are also being probed for alleged undesirability due to involvement in illegal POGO-related online activities, being undocumented, and, in some cases, illegal entry and possible human trafficking-related violations.

Authorities recovered large quantities of computer equipment, including 78 computer monitors; around 3,000 mobile phones; laptops; and cellular SIM cards. Raiding teams also seized numerous technical devices believed to have been used for online scams, indicating an organized illegal online operation at the site.

The operations form part of the BI’s continuing enforcement of Executive Order No. 74, series of 2024, which ordered the immediate ban on POGO operations in the Philippines, and Republic Act No. 12312, or the Anti-POGO Act of 2025, which prohibits offshore gaming operations and the establishment or operation of POGO sites in the country.

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