Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III on Monday, September 21 told Malacanang and Congress leaders to stop dilly-dallying by banning now the multi-billion-peso but crime-laden Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) operations.

This after Pimentel welcomed the pronouncement of his fellow Senator Imee Marcos that President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. is considering a ban on POGOs in the country.

“It’s a welcome development. Coming from the President’s sister herself, I would like to believe that we are moving in that direction of totally halting the operation of POGOs in the country,” Pimentel said.

“Let’s prohibit it. POGO is detrimental to the Republic of the Philippines,” Pimentel stressed.

Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri, on the other hand, said ‘’we’re awaiting the committee report of Senator Bato (Senator Ronald ‘’Bato’’ Dela Rosa) before we make a final decision.’’

‘’But on a personal note, we must weigh the social costs of POGO vis a vis the meager income they give to the national coffers of only P3 billion a year,’’ he pointed out.

‘’Plus they do not employ Filipinos so there is no added benefit to our local labor force. So the question is, Is it worth it?? That will be tackled during the presentation of the committee report of Senator Dela Rosa.’’ He added.

Dela Rosa held a four-hour public hearing on the negative effects of POGO operations last Thursday. He is chairman of the Senate public order and dangerous drugs committee.

POGOs are operated by China-based businessmen.

Pimentel warned that the continued operation of POGOs in the country is dangerous.

‘’It is akin to harboring would-be criminals and gangsters that can eventually cause massive disruption of peace and order in the country as we are beginning to see now with the spate of kidnapping incidence and other violent activities related to POGOs,” he said.

Pimentel stressed that Malacañang should heed the call for a total ban on POGOs as he lamented how “the country has become a playground for undesirable foreign nationals”.

The Minority Leader and Chairman of PDP Laban (Pimentel-Pacquiao wing) reiterated a call he made over the weekend for the government and Congress to make POGOs illegal.

“Kung sa China, where most of these people come from, bawal ang POGOs, why did we open our doors to POGOs? (If China where most of these people come from, bans POGOs, why did we open our doors to POGOs?),’’ Pimentel added.

Pimentel also urged the leadership of the Senate and the House of Representatives to make the banning of POGO a legislative priority.

“Given what we’re seeing now as numerous ill effects of POGOs, the Congress has the moral duty to ban POGOs. We should act now. It will be a bipartisan measure,” he said.

“We can’t afford to dilly-dally on banning POGOs when the nation’s moral fiber and peace and order are on the line,” Pimentel stressed.

‘’You are the majority. Get your act together. If you say ‘stop POGO’, we will support you,’’ Pimentel had said earlier.

For her part, Senator Grace Poe said It has become clear from the most recent Senate hearing on POGOs that the social costs of POGOs are starting to outweigh whatever economic gains that this particularly pernicious industry is bringing in the country.

‘’Kung dati ay hindi pagbabayad ng tamang buwis, mass migration, at real estate bubble ang pino-problema natin sa usapin ng POGO, ngayon ay may dagdag pang kidnapping, prostitution, torture at maging murder na kinasasangkutan ng mga POGOs (Where before the problems of POGO were centered on non-payment of correct taxes, mass migration and real estate bubble, now the crimes of kidnapping, prostitution, torture and even murder have been added to POGO operations),’’ Poe pointed out.

‘’It's like POGO as a mother vice gives birth to a whole slew of other vices and crimes,’’ she stressed.

‘’The PNP’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) itself said that the Philippines became a cradle for Chinese gangsters after Vietnam and Cambodia banned Chinese-backed online gambling and overseas casinos. In 2022 alone, majority of kidnapping cases are POGO-related,’’ she said.

‘’We should launch a full-on probe on the social costs of POGOs and evaluate whether the country can still accommodate its operations and, if yes, at what cost. I will be filing a resolution on this immediately so that the chamber and the public can explore together its stance on POGOs once and for all,’’ she explained.