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PORAC, Pampanga--The Philippine government is spending P200,000 a month for the sustenance of infants fathered by illegal foreign Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) workers with Filipino women, who have been left to fend for themselves. 

This was perhaps the most heartbreaking of the POGO problem's "ancillary costs", as laid out to House of Representatives officials by Philippine Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) Spokesman Winston Casio on Monday, Aug. 5 at Lucky South 99 gambling house here. 

Speaker Martin Romualdez, leader of the 300-plus strong House, led the lawmakers' inspection at the site, which was raided a few months ago for being an alleged illegal POGO hub. 

After the inspection, the PAOCC engaged the solons in a briefing-slash-consultation as a way to relay its budgetary needs to them. 

"Roughly po sa isang buwan (for every month), the Commission is paying P5 million minimum in electric bills alone for all the facilities that we have confiscated already," Casio told Romualdez and other ranking congressmen. 

"That doesn't include of course yung mga Filipina na nabuntis ng mga Chinese, na may mga anak," he said. 

(That doesn't include the Filipinas who got pregnant by the Chinese, and eventually gave birth to their children.) 

"Samin din po dinadala yung mga bata para sa mga pa-gatas (The children are brought to us, they get their milk budget from us), so on and so forth," he told the solon. 

Casio didn't say exactly how many mothers or babies they were handling under suchl) circumstances, but said that there were many of them. 

"Medyo marami po yun. On a monthly basis po siguro nasa P200,000 din po nagagastos sa pa-gatas and so on," the PAOCC official said. 

(There’s quite a lot of them. On a monthly basis I think we spend P200,000 on milk, and so on.) 

"Medyo marami po yung ancillary cost dito sa mga POGO (POGOs carry a lot of ancillary costs)," he lamented. 
 

READ MORE:

https://mb.com.ph/2024/7/30/barbers-asks-pinoys-to-help-government-flush-out-foreign-pogo-workers

The House, through the Committee on Appropriations, also kicked off on Monday the deliberations on the P6.352-trillion 2025 National Expenditure Program (NEP), or proposed national budget. 

It was last July 22 when President Marcos announced the total ban on POGOs. He cited the numerous crimes that are linked to the industry, which underwent a  boom period during the previous administration. 

Romualdez vowed that the House would help see through the President’s directive.

The Speaker was joined in the inspection by Senior Deputy Speaker Pampanga 3rd district Rep. Aurelio “Dong” Gonzales Jr., and the chairpersons of the different House Committees: Santa Rosa City lone Rep. Dan Fernandez (Public Order and Safety), Surigao del Norte 2nd district Rep. Robert Ace Barbers (Dangerous Drugs), Abang Lingkod Party-list Rep. Joseph Stephen “Caraps” Paduano (Public Accounts), Cavite 6th district Rep. Antonio Ferrer (Games and Amusements), and Antipolo 2nd district Rep. Romeo Acop (Tranportation). 

Also present were Deputy Majority Leader and Iloilo 1st district Rep. Janette Garin, and Surigao del Sur 2nd district Rep. Johnny Ty Pimentel.