Law enforcement authorities should heed President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s directive of a complete shutdown of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) in the country which has been proven detrimental to society, Senate Deputy Minority Leader Senator Risa Hontiveros said.
Hontiveros made the call as she thumbed down any efforts aimed at rebranding POGOs to justify its legitimacy and continuation of its operations.
“Kaya tayo nagsusumikap sa ating mga hearing sa senado ay upang makahanap ng mabisang solusyon para tuluyan na ngang mapasara ang mga POGO sa Pilipinas (We are working hard during our Senate hearings so that we can find an effective solution so POGOs in the Philippines can be completely shutdown),” Hontiveros said in a statement on Monday, September 2.
“Our hearings have strongly established that these POGOs are run by organized and syndicated criminal groups in complicit with some public officials,” she stressed.
Hontiveros, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality and leading the hearings on the illegal activities of POGOs, said her panel is also determined to hold accountable officials who allowed and continue to operate them.
“Kaya determinado rin tayong panagutin ang mga opisyal na nagbigay-daan at patuloy na nagpapatakbo sa mga ito (So we are also determined to hold accountable the officials who allowed and continue to operate them),” she said.
“Idadagdag rin natin sa batas kung paano patatagin ang koordinasyon sa ating mga law enforcement at regulatory agencies, katuwang ang LGU, upang tuluyang mawala ang POGO at mananagot sila (We will also add to the law how to strengthen coordination with our law enforcement and regulatory agencies, in collaboration with the local government units, so that POGO will disappear completely and they will be held accountable,” the lawmaker pointed out.
She also pointed out that despite the President’s issuance of a directive of a complete POGO ban during his State of the Nation Address (SONA), some POGOs continue their underground operations.
“Unfortunately, sa kabila ng mga pahayag ng pangulo sa kanyang SONA, patuloy ang underground operations ng mga POGO (despite the pronouncements of the President during his SONA, underground operations of POGOs still continue),” she lamented.
“So I am calling on our law enforcement agencies to step up para ipatupad ang total ban ni Presidente (to fully implement the President’s order of a total ban),” she stressed.
She said such modus operandi must not be repeated, including the appearance of various “rebranding” of POGO.
“Andyan ang mga balitang magiging call center daw ang mga POGO o itatago sila sa special economic zone, at iba pang mga hocus-pocus na hindi dapat mapahintulutan (There are reports that POGOs will become call centers or they will be kept in the special economic zone, and other hocus-pocus and that should not be allowed),” the senator stressed.