MANILA, Nov. 22 -- Twenty-three Chinese nationals involved in the activities of illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) and cyber fraud have been deported, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) reported Saturday.

In a statement, Alexi Val Arciaga, chief of the BI's deportation and implementation unit, said the foreign nationals boarded a Philippine Airlines flight bound for the Shanghai Pudong International Airport early Friday morning.

Meanwhile, BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado said the removal of the 23 deportees reaffirms the administration's resolve to cleanse the country of foreign nationals involved in illegal activities.

It is also in line with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s directive to intensify the crackdown on i...