China could use offshore casinos as 'trojan horses' for surprise attacks on Philippines, warn analysts

Warnings have poured in for the offshore casinos in the Philippines. Analysts have warned they could become trojan horse for China in case of conflict.

A trojan horse refers to a medium by which an adversary carries out subversive activities against you from within. It is rooted in a story of how ancient Greeks used a wooden horse against Troy in the Trojan Wars. When Trojans carried a horse ostensibly presented to them as an offering by the Greeks inside the city, the Greeks hidden inside the horse came out and open the gates to let the Greek forces in.

Now, analysts have said that China may similarly use offshore casinos to mount a surprise attack on the Philippines, according to the Philippine Daily Inquirer newspaper. Such casinos are formally called Philippine Offshore Gaming Operation (POGO).

Chester Cabalza, President and Founder of International Development and Security Cooperation (IDSC), told the paper, “The Pogos are deemed as a Trojan horse that can stage a surprise attack in the Philippines for their unrestricted warfare.”

Such casinos have come under the scanner in recent years. The coming up of casinos near military sites have invited suspicions of espionage.

There are also Chinese casinos and POGOs near the Philippine National Police headquarters Camp Crame in Quezon City, the Philippine Air Force headquarters in Pasay City, the Philippine Army headquarters in Taguig City, and the Philippine Navy headquarters in Manila, according to the paper. Cabalza warned that this was a threat to national security.

“The key strategic locations of Pogos are also sensitive to our national security since it becomes a perimeter for espionage,” said Cabalza.

A raid on casino found military uniforms

A casino was raided earlier this month. Military uniforms were discovered in the raid.

The military downplayed the discovery and said the uniforms were likely used as props in other illicit activities and not for necessarily national security-related things. Military spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla said they did not want to cause “unnecessary panic”.

“The presence of Chinese military uniforms may likely be used as props in these illicit online transactions. The limited number of PLA (People’s Liberation Army) uniforms found suggests they are more indicative of use in deceptive activities rather than any preparation for an invasion,” said Padilla.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), security expert Collin Koh said while there is indeed the possibility of military infiltration, the uniforms could also be simply carried by disbanded Chinese soldiers doing civilian jobs.

“While there’s certainly a possible risk of PLA servicemen being infiltrated into [the Philippines], another factor worth considering is that every year, large batches of PLA servicemen are demobilized and usually find jobs abroad – and they brought their rugged fatigues along as work attire,” said Coh, a research fellow at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies.