Senate Panel Backs POGO Retention in Gaming Hubs

MANILA, Philippines — The Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs is supporting the retention of Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs) in the country, but suggested that they be confined in hubs, Sen. Ronald dela Rosa said on Monday.

This was in contrast to the earlier recommendation of the Senate ways and means committee, chaired by Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, for an outright ban on POGOs, citing findings that purportedly showed that POGO-related crimes and the harm that these activities bring outweighed the purported benefits.

Gatchalian, however, has yet to present his committee report to the Senate plenary as it was signed by only seven of the panel’s 18 members, three short of a majority.

In an online briefing, Dela Rosa said his public order committee would push for confining the POGOs as part of measures to mitigate the spate of criminal activities associated with offshore gaming.

“We are giving recommendations to our government that if POGOs will be allowed to continue operating, they should be placed in one location for easier regulation; they can be concentrated in one area and their activities can be closely watched and hopefully deter crimes,” he pointed out.

The government can place offshore gaming activities in so-called “POGO zones” such as in economic zones, instead of the current setup where they are scattered, Dela Rosa said.

“Right now, the government is struggling to regulate them because they are in so many areas — Parañaque, Pasig, Cavite, while others are in Cagayan, Pampanga, Tarlac,” he noted.

Joint probe
The public order committee launched a joint probe with the ways and means panel on Oct. 3, 2022, to look into the “social costs” of the country’s hosting of Pogos opposite the revenues that they bring to the government.

Dela Rosa said that while he signed the ways and means committee report, he noted his intent to interpellate Gatchalian as he disagreed with the recommendation for an immediate ban on Pogos.

“Senator Gatchalian is pushing for an outright ban. My position is that if at all [the phaseout] will happen, it should be gradual. While I am not against banning, they should be given at least one or two years for the phaseout,” he said.

Since they covered a similar subject matter, the report of the two committees will be merged and submitted to the Senate plenary for approval to get the “sense of the legislature,” Dela Rosa said.

Dela Rosa said he hoped to be able to provide his report on the committee’s findings after Congress resumes sessions on May 7.

On April 2, Gatchalian also reiterated calls for the state-owned Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. to “vigorously” pursue its intention of filing appropriate charges against its erring officials and officers of Global ComRCI, its designated third-party auditor, which allegedly duped the government in a P6-billion auditing contract involving POGOs.