No to POGO Ban: For Chavit Singson, Rules on POGOs Should Just be Tightened

Former Ilocos Sur Governor Chavit Singson believes the policy for Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) should have been amended instead of implementing a ban.

Singson emphasized the significant loss in government revenue due to the bad, adding that the ban negatively affected the government’s income, without citing any numbers.

“POGO should not have been banned. It should have just been taxed. Increase the tax of POGOs because they would just transfer [operations] or hide [from authorities],” he was quoted as saying in an Inquirer report.

He added: “We lost a huge amount of income. Many lost their jobs. It should have just been amended… Why are we banning it if the government receives a huge income from it?”

In contrast, Finance Secretary Ralph Recto mentioned that despite the ban, the government met its revenue targets in the first half of 2024. Recto highlighted that the ban did not hinder overall revenue collection.

Rep. Joey Salceda, of Albay’s 2nd District, stated that the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR) had modernized its regulations, improving revenue collection while reducing the number of licensees. Currently, PAGCOR has issued 38 regular licenses and seven provisional ones for internet gaming.

This comes after President Ferdinand Marcos announced that there will be a ban on POGOs during his State of the Nation Address. Following this, authorities have been cracking down on POGO facilities inside and outside of Metro Manila, while uncovering supposed illegal practices such as kidnapping and human trafficking, with the apparent involvement of local government officials.

The Bureau of Immigration has given foreign POGO workers until October 15, 2024, to downgrade their work visas to temporary visitor visas, allowing them to remain legally in the Philippines for a short period to settle their affairs.

Read related article: P460 Billion Lost to Scams in PH, Link to POGO Operations Explored