Santa Rosa City lone district Rep. Dan Fernandez (PPAB)

A joint committee in the House of Representatives is calling for an immediate crackdown on the 402 illegal Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs) in the country in a bid to put an end to the numerous being criminal activities linked to them. 

The Committees on Public Order and Safety and on Games and Amusements ,made this call Wednesday, July 17, as they launched their motu proprio inquiry into the alleged association of syndicated crime with POGOs 

No less than House Speaker Martin Romualdez ordered the committees to hold the joint panel probe. 

Santa Rosa City lone district Rep. Dan Fernandez, chairman of the public order and safety panel, underscored the need for inter-agency cooperation to address the growing problem involving POGOs. 

The Laguna solon highlighted the role of local government units (LGUs) in the effort. 

Fernandez said that the mayors and heads of Business Permits and Licensing Offices (BPLO) in cities and municipalities hosting POGO hubs must take responsibility for verifying and enforcing the closure of these illegal operations. 

“Inimbitahan natin ang mga mayors, BPLO heads para at least magtulungan tayo para mapasara ang 402 na ito kasi kung iisa-isahin ito ng national government at PNP (Philippine National Police) mahihirapan tayo. That’s the reason why we need the intera-gency action on this. And that’s the reason why inimbita din natin ang mayors,” he said. 

(We will invite the mayors, BPLO heads, so that they may help us shut down the 402 because if the national government and PNP do it on their own, it'll be a difficult task.) 

Leyte 4th district Rep. Richard Gomez, himself a former mayor, underscored the critical responsibility of LGUs in ensuring the stoppage of illegal POGO activities. 

“it is also the responsibility of the mayors to make sure that they’re not operating anymore...The BPLO must ensure that they’re also not operating, that they should be canceled, they should be closed. 

"Yan ang trabaho ng LGU. So tumatakbo pa rin sa mga LGU (That's the work of the LGU. So it still runs through the LGUs). That also must be investigated, must be questioned,” Gomez said. 

It was revealed during the hearing that while there were 78 legal POGO operations under the auspices by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor), a significant number of illegal operators continue to function. 

The Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) provided intelligence on the locations and operations of the 402 illegal POGOs across the country. 

Undersecretary Gilbert Cruz, the PAOCC executive director, said the 402 includes canceled POGOs, as well as identified scam farms. 

The role of LGUs was particularly emphasized following recent raids on POGO hubs in Bamban in Tarlac and Porac in Pampanga. 

These operations uncovered extensive illegal activities, including human trafficking and other criminal enterprises, highlighting the need for local authorities to be vigilant and proactive.