POGO WORKERS composite image from Inquirer file and stock photos
MANILA, Philippines — Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez has asked lawmakers to quickly craft a bill seeking to ban Philippine offshore gaming operators (Pogos) after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. mentioned it during his third State of the Nation Address (Sona).
In a statement on Tuesday, Romualdez said he convened a meeting “immediately after the Sona” on Monday.
“I met with House leaders and top Secretariat officials last night in my office. I asked them to come up with a proposed legislative measure that will put to a halt all Pogo operations in the country effective December 2024 as ordered by the President,” he said.
“This, however, will not stop the ongoing House investigation into the criminal and other illegal activities linked to Pogo. Hopefully, the House can learn from the hearings — on their modus operandi and the brains behind these activities — as part of inputs for the proposed measure that we will be crafting,” he added.
According to Romualdez, the House Secretariat officials informed him that there are several bills and resolutions seeking to ban Pogos. Among these are House Bill (HB) No. 5082 from Manila 6th District Rep. Bienvenido Abante, Jr. and HB No. 10525 from ACT Teachers party-list Rep. France Castro, Gabriela party-list Rep. Arlene Brosas, and Kabataan party-list Rep. Raoul Manuel.
READ: House bill filed to ban Pogos, revoke licenses
READ: POGOs must go amid links to criminal activities — Rep. Abante
The following resolutions also seek to ban Pogos:
- House Resolution (HR) No. 503 filed by Rizal 4th District Rep. Juan Fidel Nograles
- HR No. 1197 filed by Cagayan de Oro City 2nd District Rep. Rufus Rodriguez
- HR No. 1524 also filed by the Makabayan bloc
- privilege speech of OFW party-list Rep. Marissa Magsino
Romualdez said these bills must be harmonized into one substitute bill that is “acceptable to all stakeholders who participated in the committee hearings.”
“I am requesting all the committee chairs concerned to give this a priority. For the House Committee on Public Order and [Safety] to submit a comprehensive report and recommendations to the Committee on Games and Amusement as soon as possible. And for the House Committee on Games and Amusements to come up with a committee report for immediate plenary deliberation,” the Speaker said.
“I want all bases in the total Pogo ban covered in the proposed measure. We have to ensure that the operators will not just resort to guerrilla operators or go undercover. The law must be crafted with iron-clad provisions to prevent a resurrection of these criminal and illegal activities,” he added.
Marcos received a standing ovation after he announced a ban on all Pogos, citing the problems that these have brought to the Philippines like rising crime rates.
The President also instructed the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation “to wind down and cease the operations of Pogos by the end of the year.”
READ: Marcos: ‘All Pogos are banned!’
According to Romualdez, a law is still needed despite Marcos’ order, so that the ban on Pogos will extend beyond Marcos’ term.
“We want this to become a legacy of President Marcos. We will ensure that syndicated criminals can no longer move using Pogos and we will hold the masterminds and the leaders of the syndicate accountable,” the Speaker said.
Marcos’ call for a total ban on Pogos drew cheers even from the opposition.
READ: Lagman says Marcos’ Sona well-delivered but lacks key details