Romualdez: Ban illegal Pogos only; total ban may lead to underground ops

MANILA, Philippines — Only Philippine offshore gaming operators (Pogo) engaging in illegal activities must be banned from operating in the country, House Representatives Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez said on Wednesday.

Romualdez, in an interview with Teleradyo Serbisyo, explained that a total ban on Pogos might only lead to these businesses moving underground, which means the government can neither monitor these companies nor demand taxes from them.

“Itigil natin lahat ng mga illegal activities ng Pogo, kasi marami d’yan — at ‘yong sinasabi ko, kapag total ban ‘yan, hindi nag-iisip ‘yong iba, kapag tinotal ban mo ‘yan, mag-underground ‘yan kasi mukhang malakas talaga ang demand.  Nandito na ‘yan eh, ‘di ba? Imbes na madaling salita, i-ban mo ‘yan, eh ngayon nga nire-regulate,” Romualdez said.

(Let’s stop all the illegal activities of Pogos, because if we go for a total ban, others are not thinking about this but companies may go underground because it seems the demand is really strong.  It’s here already.  So long story short, instead of banning it, we should regulate.)

“Strict regulation. Ako basta may batas, sundan na natin ‘yong batas.  Kaya mabuti nang hawakan na lang natin ‘yong sitwasyon, i-control na lang.  May batas, may enforcement, may regulator,” he added.

(Strict regulation. For me, as long as there’s a law, let us follow the law.  That’s why it’s better for us to handle the situation and control it.  We have laws, enforcement, and a regulator.)

According to Romualdez, the considerations are simple — Pogos who observe Philippine laws can be allowed to operate, and those who break rules would be weeded out.

The Speaker also said that numbers from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) indicated that revenues from Pogos were higher with just 42 operators remaining in the country, compared to when over 200 companies were present.

“Ako simple lang talaga ‘yong pananaw ko dito sa Pogo.  Kasi ngayon, may batas, kumabaga gumawa kami ng batas sa House, sa Senate, approved.  So may regulation, may mga IRR (implementing rules and regulations) din ‘yan, ‘yong sa ngayon, lahat ng mga operators, basta sumunod kayo sa batas at bayaran mo rin ‘yong mga buwis, ‘pag sumunod ka lang d’yan, eh ‘di okay kayo,” he said.

(My view of Pogos is simple.  We have laws; we in the House and the Senate crafted and approved laws.  So there’s regulation, there’s an IRR, so for all the operators, as long as you follow the laws and pay the proper taxes, follow regulations, then we’re good.)

“‘Yon ang nakikita natin.  Kasi kausap ko rin si Chairman Al Tengco ng Pagcor, at sinabi niya sa akin, sa higit na almost 300 na operations, higit siguro 200, 250 (ang umalis).  Pero itong 42 kasi, ngayon binabantayan talaga ‘yan ng husto, mas malaki pa ‘yong kita ng gobyerno sa 42 kesa no’ng merong higit 200,” he added.

(That’s what we are seeing. I talked to Pagcor Chairman Al Tengco, and he told me that we used to have 300 operations, but over 200, 250 have left.  But these 42 are really being monitored to the point that the government is earning more with these 42 operators compared to when we had 200.)

Pogos have been a hot topic recently, with lawmakers from both the House and the Senate saying that the social costs of the firms have become greater than the benefits they bring.

Last June 11, Makabayan bloc members in the House filed House Bill (HB) No. 10525 or the proposed Anti-Pogo Act of 2024, which will revoke existing Pogo licenses and ban other future Pogo companies from operating.

READ: House bill filed to ban Pogos, revoke licenses

Even members of the Majority too, like Surigao del Norte 2nd District Rep. Robert Ace Barbers and Cagayan de Oro City 2nd District Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, have previously condemned the continuous operation of Pogos.

On June 10, both lawmakers separately urged the government to issue a ban due to the several crimes linked to the games, amid fears that Pogo sites may have severe national security implications.

READ: Solons back proposal to ban Pogos: Risks, dangers outweigh benefits

Then just this Tuesday, both Barbers and Senator Risa Hontiveros called on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to speak about the Pogo issue after several raids have already revealed human trafficking rings operating within Pogos.

In January 2023, Marcos said he was not rushing to ban Pogos despite suggestions by some groups, noting that the crackdown should be against illegal Pogos because legal operators pay taxes.

However, last March 13, 371 Filipinos and 497 foreigners were rescued from a legal Pogo in Bamban, Tarlac, which was raided for alleged involvement in human trafficking.

The Pogo was linked to suspended Bamban Mayor Alice Guo, whom the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) accused of having business interests in Baofu Land Development Inc.

Baofu owns the land where the raided Pogo sits.  The DILG said Baofu, as represented by Guo, who was president of the company, purchased eight parcels of land in Bamban in February 2019.

Guo said she divested ownership of Baofu, but the DILG believed the amount she divested it for — P2.5 million — was “grossly incongruent to her investment on Baufo, which was approximately eight hectares of land.”

Senators also believe that Guo’s real identity was that of Chinese national Guo Hua Ping, as the National Bureau of Investigation confirmed that the fingerprints of the two personalities matched.