The arrests took place at a leisure park in the Clark Freeport Zone, a former American airbase which also includes a hotel and casino. "Our immigration officers have started conducting verification of passports (of the suspects)," Morente said, before adding that the arrested suspects were now being guarded by police. On September 9, immigration agents also arrested 154 Chinese nationals for breaking immigration laws and for illegal online gambling in the Clark Freeport Zone. In 1992, the Philippines decided to shut down the US bases in the Philippines. The US Clark Air Force Base was converted into a freeport zone, a special economic area with fiscal and non-fiscal incentives.

Source: The Nation Bangkok November 25, 2016 08:51 UTC