By Hannah Torregoza  “Stupid.” This was what Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon on Thursday called the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation’s (Pagcor) stand of allowing the continued operation of Philippine offshore gaming operations (POGOs) despite the complications that came with it. Senator Frank Drilon
(Senate of the Philippines Facebook page / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN) At the Senate blue ribbon committee’s separate investigation into the POGO industry, Drilon expressed his disappointment at Pagcor’s position of allowing the POGO business to thrive in the country as it supposedly brings in considerable revenues. The Philippines’ gaming regulator has warned that the country may lose out on revenues to fund government programs if these offshore gaming operators are banned in the country. But against this backdrop, Drilon pointed out the country is reeling from prostitution and sex trafficking schemes, crime, illegal workers, and dirty money due to the POGO business. “All these things happened since POGO came into our shores. I am disappointed at the statement today of Pagcor, saying that we are in favor of POGO continuing because of the income earned. That is a short-range statement,” Drilon said in the hearing chaired by Sen. Richard Gordon. “The social problems that POGO has brought to our country is not worth it. Let me tell you that to your face,” Drilon emphasized. “For P8 billion from fees that you get, you are saying that they should be here? You heard what happened in Multinational Village, you saw the extent of prostitution that has happened and these are because of POGO.” Drilon calculated that the fees generated by Pagcor are less than one-third of one percent of our economy, “yet all these social problems really point to the policy of stopping POGOs, because it is not worth what we see of adverse effects on society.” “That statement, I must say, is such a stupid statement. Basta pera pumasok, lahat na (As long as money comes in, everything), all these things we can tolerate,” Drilon said. “It is common knowledge that what we generate from Pagcor is nothing compared to the social problems that occur because of this.” Multinational problems In the hearing, Gordon played a video footage sent to his office by residents of Multinational Village in Parañaque where they aired their sentiments about the proliferation of Chinese nationals and POGO workers in their village. In the video, the residents complained that the Chinese POGO workers literally ‘invaded’ their quiet residential compound. According to one resident, they practically experienced power outage numerous times due to maximum load limit. “You know why, kasi (because) in a house na dapat e single family lang ang nakatira (where only a single family should live), you would have sometimes a minimum of 40 Chinese nationals (living there),” said resident Pia Gray. She also said the influx of the Chinese population into their community is “really taxing our resources and facilities in the village.” Adding to the concern, she said, are the numerous garbage and sanitation problems they contributed to the village. “We are really in danger of contamination here,” she said. Another resident also expressed their concern over the constant police raids conducted within their village. In one incident, they said, they saw naked men and women jumping off from the third floor of a house, making them suspect that the house had been turned into a sex den. But what alarmed them more, they said, was the fact these Chinese nationals were able to build a firing range within the residential area. “Imagine a firing range inside a village! Alam namin (As far as we know), wala ring (there is no) building permit because it is in an open space. They did not consult the homeowners. They just said that the reason they put a firing range there is to teach gun enthusiasts to be responsible gun owners,” they said. “But the point is, baril ‘yan eh (That’s a gun). So it has no place in a quiet subdivision,” the residents added. POGO contributions to economy When asked by Drilon how much the POGOs contribute to the Philippine economy, the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) said that the net flow from POGO is only P7 billion, or 0.29 percent of the P18.6 trillion worth of the economy. “That is only one third of one percent. That’s what POGO generates. Is it worth all these problems we face?” Drilon said. Dave Fermin Sevilla of AMLC’s Supervision and Enforcement Department said they are now reassessing the issue “and we are now trying to cure the negative effects of POGOs.” But Drilon said given the huge backlash on Filipino society, he said there is no sense continuing POGO operations in the country, saying they should be closed down and not just suspended. “On the point of policy, I think there is no sense in continuing this POGO operations licensing, which we cannot control. With only .29 percent of our economy contributed by POGO, it’s nothing if we look at the overall social effects of this POGO operation,” Drilon said. READ MORE: AMLC mum on POGO – Gordon