A Manila lawmaker has reiterated the need to ban Philippine offshore gaming operations (POGOs) in the country.
Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr, chairman of the House Committee on Human Rights, issued the statement as he cited testimonies of law enforcement officials who cited a “pattern” of illegal activities in licensed POGOs, indicating that they cannot be regulated.
“The NBI (National Bureau of Investigation) and the PNP (Philippine National Police) officials themselves are saying there is a pattern of criminality in the POGO operations, and regulation would no longer work,” said Abante, author of House Bill No. (HB) 5082 or the Anti-POGO Act of 2020.
“We should give weight to the statements and evidence presented by our law enforcement agencies because they know first hand if it is indeed feasible to regulate these POGOs,” Abante stressed.
“Citing their very own experience, the authorities say where POGOs are, criminality follows. Bakit pa ba natin hahayaan ang mga ito mambiktima ng ating mga kababayan (Why should we let them prey on our countrymen?)” he added.
During a recent hearing of the committee, Maj. Gen. Sidney Hernia of the PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group quoted PNP Chief Benjamin Acorda Jr. as saying; “If we can’t regulate the operations of POGOs, it’s better that we get rid of them.”
“As director of the Cybercrime Group, what I can say is that in our operations we have seen a pattern… these POGOs that were raided were all covered with licenses from PAGCOR. They are legal entities,” Hernia pointed out.
“At nakita natin ang pattern, meron mga illegal activities na ginawa itong mga POGO… kaya nga na raid sila (And we saw the pattern; they are engaged in illegal activities,” he added.
According to the NBI, such illegal activities by the POGOs ranged from prostitution to murder, which is why the agency supports HB 5082.
Speaking to the committee, a representative of the NBI International Operations Division said that “the position of the NBI is that we support the house bill for the reason that as an investigative agency, we have found out that these POGO operators use their license to commit crimes such as money laundering, human trafficking, kidnapping… murder and also scams.”
Abante said the allowing POGOs to legally operate in the country “provides criminal elements with a cover of legitimacy that allows them to mask their illicit activities.”
“Enough is enough! We should kick these POGOs out! They are making a mockery of our laws and victimizing our countrymen. They have no place in the Philippines,” Abante stressed.
