INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was urged to cancel the licenses of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (Pogos) that “cater to the mainland Chinese market.”
In a three-page open letter, 1Sambayan, EveryWoman, Women2022, and Intercessors of the Philippines asserted that such Pogos should already be banned in the country, especially since the Chinese Embassy in Manila already appealed to the Philippine government to ban Pogos catering to their nationals.
The Chinese Embassy in Manila even stressed that under their law, “any form of gambling, including online gambling and overseas gambling by Chinese citizens, is illegal,” the groups pointed out.
1Sambayan, EveryWoman, Women2022, and Intercessors of the Philippines likewise argued that the granting of licenses to Chinese Pogos is a violation of the Internet Gaming Regulations of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor).
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According to the groups, Pagcor’s Internet Gaming Regulations stipulate that Pogos must not allow their gaming websites to be accessed within the Philippines or in regions where online gaming is prohibited.
“We, therefore, implore the President to direct Pagcor to cancel immediately all licenses of Pogos that cater to the mainland Chinese market,” the groups said in the letter.
“This is allowed under Regulation 8, Section 1(h) of the Internet Gaming Regulations of Pagcor dated July 12, 2023, which states: ‘In case the license has been granted and the misrepresentation or false information is later discovered, the license shall immediately be canceled and a10 year ban from holding a license under these regulations shall be imposed’,” they added.
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1Sambayan, EveryWoman, Women2022, and Intercessors of the Philippines likewise noted that recent developments involving Pogos already prove that “Chinese Pogos are mostly operated by criminal syndicates.”
“There is no legal, moral, economic or social justification to allow such Pogos to operate in the Philippines,” they said in the letter which 1Sambayan shared with members of the media on Tuesday.
The groups urged the public to support calls for the banning of Chinese Pogos in the country.
Lawmakers and civil society organizations have raised concerns and called for a ban on Pogos amid recent raids conducted by law enforcement agents that revealed illegal activities tied with operations of offshore gaming.
National Economic Development Authority Secretary Arsenio Balisacan, however, said previously that the Marcos Cabinet has yet to tackle the matter.