Pagcor won’t oppose Marcos, Congress if they decide to ban Pogo – Tengco

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — The  state gaming regulator will not object should  President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and Congress decide to ban the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (Pogos).

This was according to Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) chief Alejandro Tengco when asked during a Senate hearing on Wednesday about the continued problems linked to Pogos.

“Ang paniwala ko po, kasama ng pangkasalukuyang pamunuan ng Pagcor, if we properly regulate and really properly monitor [the Pogos] ay  sayang din po ang buwis na kikitain ng Pagcor at ganun din naman ng  Bureau of Internal Revenues…” he said.

(My belief, along with the current leadership of Pagcor, is that if we properly regulate and really properly monitor  the Pogos, we would lose the  potential tax revenues for Pagcor and also for the Bureau of Internal Revenue.)

READ: Pagcor chief Tengco appears in Senate probe into Pogos

“Yun po ang position  namin  sa pangkasalukyan  pero kung ang magiging decision  po ng Senado,  ng Kongreso, ng Pangulo ng Pilipinas ay totally isara na ito, e wala po  kaming gagawing pagkontra dito,”  Tengco said, in response to  Senator  Sherwin Gatchalian’s query during the hearing of the Senate committee on  women.

(That’s  out position at the moment but if the decision of the Senate, the Congress, and the President of the Philippines   is to totally shut it down, then we will not oppose it.)

Banning  of Pogos is not an assurance though that criminalities linked to  it would now stop, the Pagcor chief said.

In fact, Tengco believes foreign criminals are now all over the Philippines and they will no longer  return to their  countries, such as  China, even if  Pogos are shut down.

Without Pogos, the Pagcor chief  estimated P22 billion to P23 billion revenue losses for this year alone.

READ: Social and economic costs of Pogos

He likewise mentioned the  hundreds of  thousands of Filipinos who would  lose their jobs once Pogos are banned.

When panel head Senator  Risa Hontiveros raised the  sentiments by  Finance Secretary Ralph Recto and National Economic Development Authority (Neda) Secretary Arsenio Balisacan against  Pogos,  the Pagcor  chief repeated his  position on the issue.

“Sinabi ko nga po, collectively kung yun ang magiging final decision ako ay sasang-ayon,” he stressed.

(As I said, collectively if that would be the final decision, I will agree.)

“Hindi  naman po ako ekonomista tulad ng Neda o ng namumuno sa Department of Finance ngayon. Kung sa paniwala nila yun ang dapat  maging  position e, ay palagay ko po isa lang po ang masasabi ko: Kami po’y hindi kokontra sa kanilang rekomendasyon na yun,”  Tengco said.

(I am not an economist like the NEDA or the current head of the Department of Finance. If they believe that should be the position, I can only say this: we will not oppose their recommendation.)

But why not  just recommend a permanent ban?  Gatchalian asked.

Aside from the projected revenue losses, Tengco said he considers it a challenge to fix  and put the  Pogo industry in order.

He also  cited  the  legitimate firms  from other countries  like Thailand and Singapore who  would be affected by the  proposed  ban of Pogos.