House Deputy Majority Leader and Iloilo (1st District) Rep. Janette Garin suggested using raided Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) hubs as student dormitories.
During the plenary discussions on the 2025 General Appropriations Bill (GAB), the legislator mentioned that students are encountering high dormitory rental fees. She referenced a study entitled “Enhancing Access and Success in SUCs.”
“Actually, one of the most challenging expenses for the student is the boarding house, the dormitory, especially since mostly the private sector provides this. And the price, the fee, cannot be controlled,” Garin said in a mix of English and Filipino.
“At the appropriate time, Madam Speaker, it’s not applicable all over the country, but for Region 3, it’s really good that the POGO hubs, which are scam hubs that have been discovered, will be acquired by the government and turned into extension campuses as well as dormitories of our deserving students,” she added.
ACT Teachers party-list Rep. France Castro likewise agreed with Garin’s suggestion.
