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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Marcos won't hesitate to ban PIGO if it will cause crimes like POGO—Palace exec

Marcos won't hesitate to ban PIGO if it will cause crimes like POGO—Palace exec

Published Mar 6, 2025 07:47 am

If Philippine inland gaming operators (PIGO) turn out to be a destructive force in society, President Marcos will not hesitate to ban it like what he did with the crime-laden operations of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO).

Usec Claire Castro.jpg
PCO Undersecretary Claire Castro (Betheena Unite)

"[K]ung mangyayari ulit iyong nangyari sa POGO dito sa PIGO, hindi po mag-aatubili ang Pangulo na magkaroon din po nang total ban sa PIGO pero siyempre kakailanganin po natin ng data patungkol dito (If what happened with POGO happens with PIGO, the President will not hesitate to order a total ban on PIGO, but of course we need data about that)," Palace Press Officer and Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said in a Palace briefing on Thursday, March 6.

Castro made the statement when asked whether the Malacañang is open to banning PIGO, following the call of the Senate President Francis Escudero to review PIGO to see if these online gambling operations are worth continuing, considering that these are more accessible to Filipinos.

The Presidential Communications Office (PCO) undersecretary said that as of now, PIGO is not causing crimes and unlike POGO, 90 percent of its workforce is Filipinos.

"Pinagkumpara po ngayon kung ano iyong nangyari sa POGO at saka sa PIGO. Sa POGO kaya po siya na-ban, total ban, dahil marami pong nangyayaring krimen because of the POGO (POGO and PIGO are now being compared. POGO was banned due to the crimes it caused)," Castro said.

"Pero as of now, lumalabas po sa pag-aaral ay hindi po ito nakakagawa ng krimen – hindi siya nagiging cause or hindi siya iyong nagiging dahilan, iyong PIGO, para makagawa ng krimen (But as of now, study shows that PIGO is not causing crime)," she added.

Castro further said that the Palace is open to receive any data about PIGO operations to determine whether or not it must be banned in the country.

Marcos declared the end of POGOs in the country when he ordered its total during his third  State of the Nation Address (SONA) in July last year.

He made the declaration as he lamented all the crimes surrounding the operations of POGOs in the country, which he said, have been "disguising as legitimate entities."

READ MORE: Marcos bans all POGOs in the Philippines

Related Tags

POGO ban President Marcos POGO Philippine inland gaming operators (PIGO)
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