Surigao del Norte 2nd District Rep. Robert Ace Barbers (INQUIRER FILE PHOTO)
MANILA, Philippines — Two lawmakers have asked the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) to name the former Cabinet official who supposedly lobbied for the Philippine offshore gaming operations (Pogos) raided recently.
ACT Teachers party-list Rep. France Castro said on Tuesday that Pagcor chief Alejandro Tengco should expose who among the past administration officials pushed for Pogos because the games have had far-reaching implications in the country.
“The PAGCOR president should immediately expose the name of the ex-Cabinet official who supposedly lobbied to approve the illegal and raided POGOs. Transparency is crucial in addressing this issue that has far-reaching implications on our society,” Castro said in a statement.
Surigao del Norte 2nd District Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, in a separate statement, said that while he is encouraging Pagcor to release the name of the cabinet official, the agency is not yet off the hook because there may be cases where licensed Pogos were involved in criminal activities.
“[…] We are not done yet with our investigations so I am warning these agencies not to extend working visas to these new arrivals who are being used to replace Chinese employees in the POGOs. I promise you, we will come out with our committee report recommending the appropriate actions when we are done with our investigations,” he said.
“The same is true with PAGCOR. If it is proven that all those raided POGOs engaged in criminal activities have been licensed, or that other licensed POGOs being protected and sponsored by some influential and notorious characters are found to be havens for criminal activities, we will make sure that those negligent, incompetent and corrupt will be punished,” he added.
Tengco said on Saturday that a former “high-ranking” Cabinet official had been lobbying for granting licenses to Pogos that had been raided recently.
According to the Pagcor chief, he will divulge the identity of the former Cabinet official as well as the circumstances that led to the proliferation of illegal and criminal offshore gaming operations in the proper forum.
Castro said that she and other Makabayan bloc lawmakers have already filed a bill seeking to ban Pogos — House Bill (HB) No. 10525 or the proposed Anti-Pogo Act of 2024 — which will revoke existing licenses and ban future Pogos due to the social cost it brings.
“POGOs have brought with them a swarm of crimes as testified by countless police raids – rape, murder, illegal recruitment, human trafficking, prostitution, illegal detention, inhumane labor practices, money laundering, and immigration bribery, among many others,” Castro said.
“Their supposed economic benefits have also been negligible compared to the social costs they have inflicted on our people and communities. It is high time we put a stop to this social menace,” she added.
Castro hopes colleagues in the House of Representatives can approve the bill once the session resumes on July 22.
“We call on our colleagues in Congress to swiftly approve this bill that will protect Filipino families and communities from the proliferation of crimes and social ills brought about by POGOs,” she said. (with reports from Moss Laygo, trainee)