STOPPING ILLICIT ACTIVITIES A provincial ordinance has barred the establishment and operation of Philippine offshore gaming operators (Pogos) in Bulacan in a bid to stop illegal activities following recent raids on illegal Pogo hubs in Pampanga and Tarlac. —MALACAÑANG PHOTO
CITY OF MALOLOS — The Bulacan government has shut the door for Philippine offshore gaming operators (Pogos) after the provincial board passed an ordinance to support an executive order issued by Gov. Daniel Fernando that banned their operation in the province.
During the regular session on Thursday, the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, led by Vice Gov. Alexis Castro, unanimously approved in its third and final reading Provincial Ordinance No. 012-2024, or the “Bawal ang Pogo sa Bulacan” ordinance, which prohibits “Pogos and other similar activities within the territorial jurisdiction of the province of Bulacan.”
Castro proposed the ordinance to complement Executive Order No. 19, Series of 2024, issued by Fernando to restrict the establishment of Pogos in any of the 20 towns and four cities in the province.
Bulacan, Castro said, is the “first province” to pass such an ordinance, as he cited similar measures passed by the city councils of Pasig and Valenzuela in Metro Manila.
READ: Pogo crackdown widens; ‘250 to 300’ not licensed
Castro said he agreed with Fernando’s apprehension that Pogos, after the recent government raids on hubs in Tarlac and Pampanga provinces, could transfer locations and Bulacan could be one of the possible locations in Central Luzon.
Col. Relly Arnedo, provincial police director, assured local officials that no Pogo firm is operating in Bulacan.
Fernando, in EO 19, ordered all mayors, councilors, and barangay officials to check all warehouses, buildings, and apartments in their respective localities for any Pogo operations.
“What good can we get from these Pogos? There are social issues, human trafficking, torture, money laundering, kidnapping, prostitution, different crimes in Pogos. We would not let these things happen in Bulacan as these are all crimes brought by Pogos. We will not gain anything out of this… Even jobs are not given to locals but to foreigners,” Castro told reporters after the session on Thursday.
Concerns
An establishment being constructed for a supposed Pogo operation in a Bulacan town, but which has yet to be issued a permit and license by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp., will be covered by this ban by the local government unit (LGU).
“Let this be a message also to everyone that we [and] Governor Fernando are not protectors of Pogo,” Castro said.
In Palawan province, another proposed ordinance seeking to ban the establishment of Pogos was filed by Board Member Ryan Maminta during the board’s regular session on Tuesday.
“Proliferation of these operations, illegal for that matter, had raised various concerns, including criminal activities, financial irregularities, and negative social impacts,” Maminta said in his privilege speech.
He also said that the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission had reported that it was intensively monitoring activities in Palawan after receiving information that the province was being promoted abroad as a prime location for Pogo operations.
Maminta said he had received reports of activities related to the conduct of illegal offshore gaming operations on some islands north of Palawan. He, however, did not provide details.
“These issues not only threaten the security of our citizens but also tarnish the reputation of our beloved province,” he said. —WITH A REPORT FROM GERALDFORD TICKE