Wednesday – July 31, the House of Representatives issued a meeting for mayors nationwide to clear all Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations (POGO) inside their cities as a step to officially ban all illegal operations in the Philippines.
The House Committees invited local executives to further discuss the mandated shutdown of POGOs mentioned in the third State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President ‘BongBong’ Marcos Jr. and expected to close all 402 illegal POGOs.
The House Committee on Public Order and Safety, Representative Dan S. Fernandez, together with the Committee on Games and Amusement, Representative Antonio A. Ferrer, initially plans to continue the investigation on all criminal and illegal work that links to POGOs, as per the House Speaker, Martin Romualdez.
POGOs under the internet gaming licensees (IGLs) of PAGCOR, the offshore gaming operations licensed by the Cagayan Economic Zone Authority (CEZA), Authority of the Freeport Area of Bataan (AFAB), and the Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport (APECO) are subject to be banned, as the Presidential Anti-Orgnized Crime Commission (PAOCC) sees most of the POGO operators are illegal Chinese Nationals.
In addition to the hearing, the House says that the economic zone is not involved in the proliferation of POGOs in the country.
La Paz, Abra Mayor Joseph Bernos, and other local Mayor urge league members to “begin the process of winding up and closing down (POGOs) within their jurisdiction,” saying, “It’s not only a matter of legal adherence but a demonstration of our collective responsibility to our constituents and the nation.”
About the gaming operations behind CEZA, Katrina Ponce Enrile, Administrator and CEO of CEZA, mentioned that there are no illegal POGOs inside their economic zone. She stated that the ongoing operation of CEZA is just a pure licensed gaming service provider. That it never had instances of kidnapping, human trafficking, torture, and scam cases.
With the SONA 2024, Senator Joel Villanueva said that prioritizing Senate Bill No. 2752 would help PAOCC shut down all POGO services as President Bongbong Marcos Jr., gives off a deadline until the end of the year.
Photo Courtesy: Senate of the Philippines