IT has been almost three months since President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. used the drama attendant to the annual State of the Nation Address (SONA) to announce his decision to ban the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) from the country. In a statement full of fanfare, Marcos said the ban takes effect immediately, or the very next day, and directed the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) to effect the phasing out of all POGO establishments by the end of the year.
Many POGO operators believed the President, and in fact started winding down their operations by terminating their contracts of lease and laying off workers, especially in Metro Manila’s business districts which are now suffering from low office occupancy.
However, some operators are still at it, with no intention of respecting the ban. As a matter of fact, 17 foreign nationals were arrested last Friday after operatives of the National Bureau of Investigation’s Cybercrime Division conducted a raid on POGO-scam hub in Makati City. The establishment employed both Chinese and Filipino workers who lived in the same building, with a commissary at the rooftop, which supplies food to them.
‘We are confident that the President’s pronouncement on the POGO ban and the directive to Pagcor to implement it are enough if government authorities are sincere in banning
this scourge in Philippine society…’
Some 10 days ago, another POGO facility along J. W. Diokno Blvd. in Pasay City was raided by the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) with the help of the National Bureau of Investigation and the Pasay City police. Here, up to 200 people including Chinese nationals were rounded up.
These developments led former Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos, a lawyer by profession, to suggest to the Marcos administration the issuance of a clear-cut executive order that would formalize the total ban on POGOs in the country. Abalos recently resigned to seek a seat in the Senate in next year’s elections.
Despite the proclamation, Abalos said, criminal syndicates have continued to use POGOs in providing cover for their illicit operations. With this, an executive order would be needed to provide the necessary framework in enforcing the ban, he said.
Recently, raids on illegal POGO hubs all over the country found evidence linking the industry to various criminal activities such as human trafficking, money laundering, torture, and prostitution, among others. Abalos advised the general public to immediately report to authorities if they have information about continuing POGO operations in their areas.
He said the order will also amplify the ongoing efforts to crack down on crime syndicates.
“This EO will strengthen and empower more of our law enforcement agencies in running after those behind POGO operations, both foreign and Filipino nationals,” the former DILG chief added.
Anti-gambling advocates have time and again reiterated that stiffer penalties are needed to ensure that the POGO operations will finally be ended and never to resume in the country.
We are confident that the President’s pronouncement on the POGO ban and the directive to Pagcor to implement it are enough if government authorities are sincere in banning this scourge in Philippine society, one that was unfortunately created by modern technology.
