Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra maintained that an executive order (EO) is enough to implement the total ban on all Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs).
“Under the law, all gaming operations fall under the jurisdiction of PAGCOR (Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation), which in turn reports directly to the Office of the President, an executive order or other administrative issuance is sufficient to implement the policy,” Guevarra, quoted by GMA News, said.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) was sought for comment but has yet to give a response.
Guevara said that the ban “is a matter of government policy.”
“It is the president’s determination of what is good for the country after carefully weighing all competing interests,” Guevarra said.
During his third State of the Nation Address, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said he is banning all POGOs in the country by the end of the year. The ban came following consecutive raids against illegal POGO hubs leading to the discovery of equipment used for torture, love scams, and other crimes.
The Bureau of Immigration (BI) said foreign workers employed in POGOs will be given two months to exit the country following the ban on these establishments.
BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco also bared that at least 20,000 foreign POGO and IGL employees are expected to leave the country in the next 60 days.
Senator Joel Villanueva said: “The sooner they can leave, the better.”
He also thanked the BI for the agency’s immediate action on the directive of President Marcos.
Villanueva also said it is important that the BI and the gaming regulator PAGCOR to ensure that all foreign POGO workers who should leave the country will be accounted for.
Based on PAGCOR data, there are 133,000 foreign POGO workers as of March 2024. This is more than the 20,000 foreign POGO workers listed in the BI.
He said PAGCOR should also lead the campaign against the emergence of illegal POGO operations.
Senator Risa Hontiveros said law enforcers and local government officials should ensure that those working in illegal POGOs should leave the country, adding that this is a challenge to government agencies since there are more illegal POGOs than those operating legally.
Nonetheless, she rated that “we must ensure humanitarian treatment toward foreign workers, especially those who may have been trafficked into these legal or illegal POGOs/IGLs,” he said.
