PAOCC on Illegal POGO Hub in Cebu: “There is a clear case of negligence…”

September 3, 2024 Philippines Crime & Legal

Malacañang has announced it will target local government officials who are either negligent or harboring illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) within their jurisdictions. This comes despite President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s strong directive to eliminate these gaming operations.

Winston Casio, spokesperson for the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC), urged local executives to support the national government’s crackdown on Pogos. Casio acknowledged that over 300 illegal POGO hubs continue to operate secretly.

On July 31, 2024, the House of Representatives provided local chief executives with detailed dossiers listing 402 illegal POGOs, including their locations and key figures involved. These files were handed over to the League of Cities of the Philippines and the League of Municipalities of the Philippines as part of the ongoing Pogo inquiry led by House committees on public order and safety and on games and amusements. The responsibility now lies with local mayors to swiftly shut down these operations.

Santa Rosa City Representative Dan Fernandez, who chairs the public order and safety committee, stated that local executives are expected to report back within a month on their actions regarding the 402 illegal POGOs.

Casio emphasized the need for intensified local monitoring and criticized officials for failing to address these illegal activities. “[Local officials] should implement more intensified monitoring and not turn a blind eye to the illegal activities of offshore gaming within their jurisdiction because it will never be a valid defense for a local official to say that they knew nothing about the presence of these POGOs,” Casio was quoted as saying in a report published by the Inquirer.

Casio further stated, “The PAOCC is seeking the help of local chief executives—governors, mayors, barangay captains, and council members, as they are supposed to be the eyes and ears of the government—that they should have already known about this before it reached the national government.”

The PAOCC’s statements follow the recent raid on the Tourist Garden Hotel in Barangay Agus, Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu. Government operatives conducted the raid after reports indicated the hotel was functioning as a POGO hub. Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Junard Chan ordered the closure of the hotel on September 2, following the seizure of materials used for illegal activities and the rescue of undocumented foreigners.

Casio criticized the local officials for their negligence, noting that such operations are typically first detected by local authorities through business license offices, the Bureau of Fire Protection, and local police. “It is rather saddening because there is a clear case of negligence on the part of the LGU officials because before something like this could operate in a locality, it is the local government that will be the first to know—from the business license processing office, the Bureau of Fire Protection, and the local police,” he said.

Casio clarified that the PAOCC will leave the determination of local officials’ culpability to the Department of the Interior and Local Government. “We hope the LGUs will cooperate so that this problem will not be prolonged and we can adhere to the President’s directive to eliminate all POGOs in the country by December 31,” said the PAOCC spokesperson.