Duterte orders ‘intense fight’ vs illegal gambling

President Rodrigo Duterte. (File Photo by NOEL CELIS/AFP)

President Rodrigo Duterte has signed executive order (EO) no. 13 strengthening the government’s fight against illegal gambling.

Duterte signed the EO on February 2, which ordered the Philippine National Police (PNP), the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT)  “to intensify the fight against illegal gambling.”

READ: Duterte’s next target: Illegal gambling

The EO defined illegal gambling as any game schemes not authorized or licensed by the government.

“The state condemns the existence of illegal gambling activities as a source of widespread social menace and source of corruption as it has become an influential factor in an individual’s disregard for the value of dignified work, perseverance and thrift,” the order read.

The EO said the law enforcement agencies were “directed to coordinate and promptly act on requests of gambling regulatory authorities to investigate and put a stop to illegal gambling activities in their respective jurisdictions.”

The order also mandated the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor), Cagayan Economic Zone Authority (Ceza), Authority of the Freeport Area of Bataan (Afab), Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport Authority (Apeco) and other regulatory entities to submit to the Office of the President a consolidated report on the progress on the fight against illegal gambling within their jurisdiction within six months and every six months thereafter from the effective date of the EO.

READ: Pagcor to close unlicensed online gaming firms

The EO, which was published in a Manila newspaper on Friday, is effective immediately.

In the order, Duterte prohibited sharing or transfer of online gambling license to any other party. Online gambling operators were also restricted to operate outside the economic zones outside where they secured their license.

The order, however, does not prohibit the “participation of persons physically located outside Philippine territory.” IDL