Hidden Firing Range and Underground Tunnel Found at POGO Luxury Resort in Porac Pampanga

Surprising Discoveries at an Exclusive Resort

On Saturday, police uncovered an indoor firing range and an underground tunnel during a search at a high-end resort. The resort was reportedly constructed for the exclusive use of Chinese executives working at a nearby Philippine offshore gaming operator (Pogo).

Discovery of the Firing Range

Initially reported as a warehouse by a resort worker, the firing range was discovered behind a 20-foot-high concrete wall on Daisy Street in Purok 6, Barangay Siñura. According to Col. Jay Dimaandal, the Pampanga police director, the 2-hectare resort is located about 2 kilometers from Porac-Angeles City Road and 5 kilometers from Grand Palazzo Royale. At the latter location, the Pogo firm Lucky South 99 has leased a 10-hectare property and built 46 buildings from 2019 to 2023.

"Even the PNP (Philippine National Police) does not have this kind of a firing range. It is equipped with electronic control for pistol and rifle targets. It is made soundproof by concrete walls and roofs," Dimaandal stated. The firing range was actively used, as indicated by the slugs recovered. The range was found inside a fully enclosed building.

Underground Tunnel and Luxurious Amenities

A door leading to the underground tunnel was discovered on the first floor of another two-story structure, essentially a mansion with about 10 bedrooms. Its furnishings included wine cabinets (emptied when found) and massage chairs. From its stairs, one could see another structure—a two-bedroom house built in the middle of a pond.

Official Investigation and Raids

Pampanga Governor Dennis Pineda requested a search of the resort after receiving information about Lucky South 99. The Pogo hub in Porac was raided twice last month over reports of human trafficking, torture, prostitution, and money scams, according to Provincial Board Member Ananias Canlas Jr. This information came from public hearings, police intelligence reports, and tips from civilians, as stated by Canlas, who led the provincial council’s inquiry into the company’s operations.

Executive Judge Robert Alexander Malig of the San Fernando Regional Trial Court’s Third Judicial Region issued a search warrant for Saturday’s raid. It listed Katherine Cassandra Li Ong, Gheric Pagcu Manaloto, or any persons they were employing as respondents in an investigation for alleged human trafficking.

Connection to Local Officials

Ong is reportedly the girlfriend of the brother of a Bamban Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo, who was suspended following the raids on the Pogo run by Zuan Yuan Technology Inc. inside the Baufo Land Development hub behind the municipal hall in March.

Search Results and Findings

The search teams failed to find Ong and Manaloto but found two Filipino incorporators of Whirlwind Corp., the company that leased the land to Lucky South 99, namely Daniel Salcedo Jr. and Chona Alejandre. Salcedo denied being a Whirlwind incorporator, stating that the documents he signed for the company were only for payments of real property tax. The police had monitored Salcedo taking two Viber calls from a certain Casey Li, allegedly another name used by Ong.

Alejandre, visibly shaken during the search, said she only served food and drinks to the resort’s Chinese guests. Three more women and three men were invited by the police for questioning. They later claimed to be employed as cleaners at the resort. Some of their names appeared on a list of “Bamban employees”—an apparent payroll—found by the investigators, Canlas said. They also denied having information on two Chinese nationals, Xiang Tan and Jing Gu, whose names appear in government documents as incorporators of Whirlwind and Lucky South.

In one of the rooms searched, the Inquirer saw a picture of Ong and about 30 pairs of shoes.

The Fortress-Like Resort

In a statement, Canlas described the resort as a “well-funded structure.” An initial inventory noted its swimming pool, man-made lake, garden, salon, spa, KTV bar, game rooms, entertainment centers, and helipad. “It’s like a fortress,” Canlas said, referring to the high walls hiding the resort from public view. According to Governor Pineda, the municipal engineer’s office stated that it had not issued building permits for these structures, making them illegal.

An elderly local resident recalled seeing Chinese-looking individuals smoking outside the wall and hearing helicopter landings and takeoffs in the area almost weekly late last year.