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MANILA, Philippines — An association representing Filipino workers in Philippine offshore gaming operations (Pogos) on Monday told the government to “carefully weigh” the impact of banning offshore gaming on its workers and the nation’s economy.
“The association and the workers are appealing to the government to carefully weigh out and determine the economic contributions, including the potential loss of jobs in deciding the fate of the online gaming industry,” Association of Service Providers and Pogo (Aspap) representative Mike Danganan said in a press briefing.
Danganan pointed out that there are over 23,000 Filipinos who will lose “decent and well-paying jobs,” if the government decides to shut down Pogos.
He said this is based on Aspap members alone, composed of 16 Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor)-licensed Pogos 68 service providers.
“These workers are trying to voice out their concerns regarding the current situation of the Pogo industry, what is at stake here is not only their means of livelihood but also support for their families,” said Danganan.
He also pointed out that more Filipinos are employed in Pogos as its association only counts 17,130 foreign nationals among its members.
Meanwhile, Aspap representative Paul Bongco acknowledged that “nefarious operators” have been the source of the recent spate of crimes “which have given the industry a bad name.”
Because of this, he vowed the Aspap and all its members will give its full cooperation and coordination with relevant agencies “to immediately weed out illegal operators and criminal elements in order to restore the reputation and credibility of lawful gaming operators and investors.”
This came after talks of shutting down Pogos have reached the Senate floor, lawmakers have questioned whether the “social cost” of Pogos is worth it, with Senator Grace Poe pointing out that the current revenue it generates does not justify its operations in the country.
Meanwhile, during a Senate briefing, Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno said he supports ending activities of the Pogos in the Philippines because of the social costs associated with the industry.
The Philippine National Police (PNP) also said that the majority of the kidnapping cases in 2022, 15 out of 29, are kidnappings.
Meanwhile, Albay Second District Rep. Joey Salceda earlier warned that banning Pogos would only push companies and their workers underground.
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