The House Committee on Games and Amusements on Monday approved House Bill 5082, which seeks to ban the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) operations in the country, a step closer to being officially enforced as a law.
Due to the reports of kidnapping, human trafficking, and other crimes in which some POGOs are involved, the committee decided to take action to prevent incidents from occurring, as the panel also approved House Resolution 1197, which urges the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) to ban them in the country.
According to Cagayan de Oro 2nd District Representative Rufus Rodriguez, the author of House Resolution 1197, the data from the Philippine National Police (PNP) showed that a total of 4,039 victims of POGO-related crimes were recorded in the first six months of 2023.
He also stated that the multi-billion-dollar contribution of POGO to the country’s revenue has also been allegedly used for illegal activities in the Philippines, including violent criminal cases.
Rodriguez explained that from a tax collection perspective, the economic benefits are going down, which makes it “very clear” that POGO has to let go.
Meanwhile, POGO licensees in the country went down from 295 in 2019 to 75 last year.
