Senator Francis Pangilinan on Wednesday called on the Philippine government to revoke the licenses of Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs) in the Philippines.
“China is correct here. Cancel the POGO licenses on concerns of criminality and corruption. Gambling is illegal in China. This means that Chinese criminals run the POGOs here in the Philippines,” Pangilinan said.
He said it is the Philippine government that is condoning the operations of criminal syndicates.
He added that the sincerity of the anti-crime and anti-corruption campaign of the administration has been placed in serious doubt with Chinese criminal syndicates being allowed to conduct illegal businesses freely in the country.
Pangilinan also noted that the last few months saw an increase in crime reports involving POGO players and financiers who break the law but do not allow themselves to be subjected to the country’s laws.
“There were even reports of our local police being detained and were not allowed to investigate crime scenes. This is the height of disrespect, which we should not take this sitting down,” the senator said.
Pangilinan also pointed out that the pervasive presence of Chinese POGO workers in the country’s neighborhoods has also fueled racial antagonism among local residents, who rightfully detest some of the foreigners’ dirty habit of smoking, among others.
According to Pangilinan, there are issues as well of exploited Chinese workers, fly-by-night operators, and non-payment of taxes in the industry. He said that all these these should not be ignored.
At the same time, Pangilinan said that no less than Philippine defense officials have raised the possibility of these POGOs being used to spy on Filipinos.
“The complex issues connected to POGO operations are critical and could outweigh the earnings government rake in,” he said.
Senator Joel Villanueva, for his part, said he is elated that the Bangko Sentral is taking action on POGOs after BSP Governor Benjamin Diokno commissioned a study on the online gaming industry.
He said this aligns with a resolution he filed earlier this month calling for an inquiry on the influx of foreign workers in the country, especially through the POGOs.
In his resolution, Villanueva said he raised the importance of putting the POGO sector under closer scrutiny to establish its impact to the country.
“We maintain that the sector does very little to benefit the country. POGOs do not create jobs for Filipinos, and the influx of foreign workers which POGOs primarily employ have driven property prices upwards to the detriment of Filipino businesses and workers,” he said.
Until last month, he said the country’s revenue collection from the sector is minimal at best, considering that POGO firms only agreed to pay income taxes last month, nearly three years since its operations went full blast in 2016.
He said it is also worth noting that POGOs are fertile ground for illicit transactions such as money laundering, among other crimes.
The senator added that if the government does not put in safeguards on this sector as soon as possible, the country could be branded as another money laundering hotspot.
“We do not want another Bangladeshi bank heist happening on our shores.”
“We will surely invite BSP and AMLC in our Senate inquiry on this matter to share with us the findings of their study,” he added.