Senators wish for Marcos to tackle Pogo ban in Sona

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POGO COMPOUND Photo shows the compound supposed to have been used for Philippine offshore gaming operators (Pogos) in Porac, Pampanga. —Grig C. Montegrande

MANILA, Philippines — Senators Aquilino Pimentel III and Sherwin Gatchalian on Sunday separately urged President Marcos to address the growing concerns related to the Philippine offshore gaming operators (Pogos) during his State of the Nation Address (Sona) on July 22.

“Who knows, he might just surprise us,” Pimentel said in a radio interview on Sunday. “It’s possible that he announces it at the Sona that he’s now banning completely all Pogo activities in the Philippines.”

“The President’s popularity and approval rating will surely shoot up if he announces it in his Sona … that would be a good political move. But of course, I am not the political advisor of the President. But it’s indeed possible,” Pimentel said.

READ: Pogo hubs will no longer be allowed, says Pagcor chief

“If I were the President, of course, I will just wait for the Sona so that it would be one of the highlights of his Sona,” he said.

But more than surprised, the Filipino people would be elated should the President make such an announcement, he said.

“Of course, everyone’s attention would be focused on that event. We would be surprised. Perhaps not only surprised but also happy,” he said.

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

Social and moral cost

Gatchalian, who has filed Senate Bill No. 2689 effectively outlawing Pogos, said he supported Pimentel’s and Finance Secretary Ralph Recto’s recommendation to ban Pogos.

“This is precisely what I have been advocating for, given the fact that many Pogo companies are linked to various illegal activities, including human and sex trafficking, serious illegal detention, money laundering, torture and online scamming, which undermine national security and social order,” he said.

Gatchalian added that the ongoing Senate probe has revealed the extent to which Pogos will enrich themselves at the expense of Filipinos.

Both senators called on suspended Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo, to voluntarily surrender following the Senate’s issuance of warrants for her and her family’s arrest after repeatedly skipping the upper chamber’s inquiry into the Pogo industry.

“She should appear at the Senate. The Senate is calling you, so you should appear. If the court doesn’t issue an order in [your] favor, then you should obey the order of the Senate,” Pimentel said.

Guo had earlier appealed to the Supreme Court to stop the Senate summons, saying that Sen. Risa Hontiveros and her committee, which has been conducting the inquiry into Pogos, violated her constitutional rights and her right to due process and privacy.

Arrest warrant in effect

“Unless there is a TRO (temporary restraining order), you should obey the Senate,” he said.

“She should do a voluntary surrender. I’m sure she is aware that she has a warrant of arrest. She should respect the law,” Gatchalian said in a Viber message to reporters.

The Office of the Senate sergeant at arms, accompanied by the Philippine National Police, did not find Guo in her farm in Bamban on Saturday.

The Senate sergeant at arms also reported that they also went to the garment factories linked to her family in Valenzuela, Quezon City, and Bulacan, but did not find Guo or her family members.

But the Senate security team was able to arrest Nancy Gamo, the accountant of Guo’s family companies and is now in the custody of the Senate, according to the Senate’s public relations and information bureau.

The Senate dispatched four teams to serve the arrest order against Guo, Gamo and the mayor’s family—siblings Sheila, Wesley and Seimen, their supposed parents, Chinese nationals Jian Zhong Guo and Wenyi Lin.

Separate arrest warrants were also issued against Dennis Cunanan, who had served as the authorized representative of Hongsheng Gaming Technology Inc., the predecessor of Zun Yuan Technology Inc., which the Philippine Anti-Organized Crime Commission raided in Bamban last March.

In addition, the Senate panel issued separate summonses to 15 individuals suspected of involvement in Lucky South 99 Outsourcing Inc., which operated a Pogo hub in Porac, Pampanga.