PH gov’t should use buildings that housed Pogos – Villanueva

SHUTDOWN A Philippine offshore gaming operator (Pogo) hub operating behind the town hall of Bamban in Tarlac province has been shut down following a government raid in March due to human trafficking, online scams, and other illegal activities. —RICHARD A. REYES

MANILA, Philippines — What would happen to buildings that housed Philippine offshore gaming operators (Pogos) now that they are banned in the country?

For Sen. Joel Villanueva, the government should use the buildings for the benefit of Filipinos.

“So what do we do now with the buildings? I was the one who mentioned it could be used as housing. Second, evacuation centers. Because what they build is strong. There’s even a tunnel, right?” he said in Filipino.

According to Villanueva, he talked to former Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri and Sen. Nancy Binay regarding the matter after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced the Pogo ban.

Villanueva also filed a resolution seeking to repeal the law taxing Pogos. If given the chance, he would ask Marcos to consider his bill as a priority measure.

READ: Villanueva files bill to void pogo tax law

Under the bill, Pogos will have 30 days from the effectivity of the proposed measure to cease their operations.

“Failure or refusal of the firms to close operations shall subject the responsible officers to imprisonment of 12 to 20 years or a fine of P100 million or both, and will subject the foreign offenders to deportation after service of sentence,” the bill reads.

The bill also stated that the Bureau of Internal Revenue will still have the authority to collect unpaid taxes from Pogos even after the repeal of Republic Act 11590 or the Act Taxing Pogo, which was signed into law in 2021.