A HOUSE representative on Tuesday said the administration should heed the call of lawmakers to terminate all Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO), whether licensed or illegal, as the moral and social costs far outweigh economic benefits.
POGOs spawn various crimes, including kidnap for ransom, prostitution and human trafficking, murder, extortion, online scamming, illegal drugs, and money laundering, said Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace S. Barbers in a press statement.
“We saw on television and read in papers the police raids and rescue operations on the ‘imported’ prostitutes from China, Myanmar, Malaysia, and Vietnam only catering POGO workers,” Mr. Barbers, chairman of the House Committee on Dangerous Drugs, said in a mix of English and Filipino.
He cited that about 300,000 Chinese tourists-turned-POGO-workers entered the country since 2016 and some are allegedly being ordered to do work involving cybercrime.
He said the claim by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), which issues gaming licenses, that POGO operations would bring in at least P32 billion in taxes annually had not materialized.
Collection from POGOs dropped 46% to P3.19 billion in 2021 from P7.1 billion in 2020, according to a report presented by the Bureau of Internal Revenue.
Data provided by PAGCOR showed that there were 32 POGOs and 127 service providers permitted to operate, but some of the online gambling firms are granting illegal sub-licenses to unregistered firms, through which Chinese and other nationals were subjected to human trafficking, Mr. Barbers said. — Kyanna Angela Bulan