The father of a 14-year-old Chinese national who was abducted and later found in Parañaque City has ties to the Philippine offshore gaming operator (Pogo) industry, the Philippine National Police (PNP) confirmed on Wednesday.
Police discovered the missing teenager abandoned along Macapagal Avenue on Tuesday evening. He was reunited with his father and taken to a hospital in Taguig City for a medical examination.
“Initially, one of the family members was involved in the Pogo business. They may have been discussing payment for an outstanding debt. That’s the lead the Anti-Kidnapping Group (AKG) is pursuing,” PNP public information chief Col. Randulf Tuaño said during a briefing at Camp Crame.
Tuaño later clarified that the teenager’s father was the one linked to Pogos.
“He is involved in the Pogo industry. As of now, he is a big-time e-seller of all merchandise that can be sold online. What we are looking into is his former involvement with Pogos and his business associates in his e-selling ventures,” Tuaño added.
The AKG has reported 40 kidnapping cases from January 2024 to February 2025, with 10 involving Chinese nationals as victims.
The PNP attributed the rise in cases to the “continuing challenges posed by criminal syndicates operating in the aftermath of the Pogo shutdown.”