PH Finance Sec in favor of POGO shutdown

Philippine Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno announced Thursday that the country should do away with Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators or POGOs completely even at the risk of impacted revenue collection, the Philippine Star reported.

Mr Diokno made the comments on Wednesday during the “Kapihan sa Manila Bay” weekly news forum. He stated that the presence of POGOs boosted reputational risks and carried social costs for the country.

“For me, let’s get rid of POGOs. We can get revenues from lots of other sources,” he was quoted as saying.
This week, Philippine Senator Sherwin Gatchalian was also quoted saying that POGOs have ‘become a hotbed of human trafficking.’ The senator also called for the closure of the POGOs, similarly.

A recent raid into a Pasay City POGO has led to the rescue of 2,000 Filipino and foreign workers who were alleged to be victims of human trafficking.

The media outlet said the national government raked in just below PHP4.44 billion (US$80.1 million) from POGOs in the first eight months of 2022, compared to PHP3.91 billion in full-year 2021.

In his Wednesday’s remarks, the official also cited the social costs of keeping POGOs operating, owing to concerns linked to criminal activities.

In May, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp (Pagcor) issued what it called a “stern warning” to POGOs against involvement in criminal activities. The warning followed a suspension order issued to CGC Technologies (CGC), an accredited offshore gaming customer relations service provider.

Members of a Philippine Senate committee had previously criticized Pagcor for what they said was a lack of oversight regarding the operations of POGOs.

Gatchalian also cited lack of benefit to the wider domestic economy, outstanding tax liabilities of some operators, and concerns about social harm from “criminal influence” associated with the trade as further reasons for a closure.

The online gaming segment in the Philippines grew rapidly under the leadership of former Pagcor chairman Andrea Domingo.

In March, Pagcor stated it had terminated the contract of a third-party auditor that had been responsible for auditing POGOs. It said the service provider was found to be “in default of its obligations” and to “have committed unlawful acts”.

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