Escudero floats total gambling ban amid Pogo issue: Bakit tayo mamimili lang?

MANILA, Philippines — Senate President Francis Escudero floated the idea of banning all forms of gambling in the country instead of just solely focusing on axing Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (Pogos). 

“Personally ang mas gusto ko nga, kung gusto nating mag ban ng pasugalan… eh ‘di i-ban na lang natin lahat. Para wala nang sugal sa Pilipinas kung talagang iyan ang gusto natin at yung mga kasamaang associated at nakadikit sa pagsusugal. Tulad ng trafficking, money laundering, cyber fraud,” said Escudero in a Kapihan sa Senado forum on Thursday. 

(Personally, what I prefer is, if we want to ban gambling… let’s just ban everything. So that there will be no more gambling in the Philippines, along with its associated ills such as trafficking, money laundering, cyber fraud, if that is what we really want.)

The newly-instated Senate chief’s suggestion after he was asked about his stance on banning illegal Pogos. 

Several senators have been urging President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to completely ban Pogos in Philippines, pointing out that these only “made the country a fertile ground for various crimes.”

But citing data from the Philippine National Police, Escudero said various crimes such as kidnapping, illegal drug use, prostitution — among others – are also found in other forms of gambling. 

“May cases naman sila [sa] Pogo, Casino — kunin niyo ‘yung data. Interesting yung data na yun. So, it’s present in all forms of gambling, ewan ko kung bakit. So, if it is present in all forms of gambling, then let’s ban all of the forms of gambling that [have] it too. Bakit tayo mamimili lang?,” he emphasized.

(They have cases [in] Pogo, Casino — take the data. That data is interesting. So, it’s present in all forms of gambling, I don’t know why. So, if it is present in all forms of gambling, then let’s ban all of the forms of gambling that have it too. Why are we being selective?)