Duterte’s order on offshore gaming ‘ill-advised’ – Enrile

Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Juan Ponce Enrile. FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — Former President Rodrigo Duterte’s executive order allowing online gambling operators to make games available overseas was “ill-advised,” the Marcos administration’s Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Juan Ponce Enrile said on Wednesday.

Enrile attended the House of Representatives’ hearing on Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (Pogos) to accompany his daughter, Cagayan Economic Zone Authority (Ceza) Administrator Katrina Ponce Enrile, who explained that there are no Pogos within their jurisdiction.

In an ambush interview, Enrile was asked if it was wise to allow Pogos to operate when other countries have banned these operations.

“It was ill-advised. They did not study it well. My God, Pogo was banned by Cambodia, banned by many countries in Central Asia, and we adopted it here. And why is that here until now, you have Pogos in Bamban and Porac and without Pagcor (Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation) being able to control them?” the former Senate president said.

“Is that a wise decision, wise activity?” he added.

Enrile did not specify which part of Duterte’s Executive Order No. 13 was ill-advised, but the presidential decree released in February 2017 clarified online gambling.

Under Section 3 of the executive order, a licensed online gambling operator or provider of activities and services is prohibited from allowing “persons who are physically located outside the territorial jurisdiction of the licensing authority to place bets, or in any way participate, in the games conducted […] through an online portal or similar means.”

However, the same section also stated that gambling operators who want to operate outside of the government’s jurisdiction can apply “for a separate license with the appropriate authority.”

READ: Duterte orders intensified fight vs illegal gambling 

According to Enrile, Pogo was never on his mind when he crafted Republic Act No. 7922 or the Cagayan Special Economic Zone Act of 1995, which established the Cagayan Special Economic Zone and Freeport (CSEZFP) in Santa Ana town.

READ: Marcos: ‘All Pogos are banned!’

“If I were the president, I agree with President [Ferdinand Marcos Jr.]. I will kick out Pogo in this country,” he said.

“I do not know anything about Pogo. That was never in my mind when I crafted Republic Act No. 7922. In fact, when I revised the Pagcor charter, Pogo was never in my mind or in the mind of any legislator,” he added.

During the hearing, the younger Enrile explained that there are internet gaming (iGaming) operations in CSEZFP, but it differs from Pogos.

“To this end, I want to categorically state that there are no Pogos in the Cagayan Special Economic Zone and Freeport. There never was, and there never will be. Pogos are the exclusive creation of the past administration of Pagcor. Ceza has the authority to conduct offshore iGaming operations since it can register enterprises organized or domiciled in the Philippines or any foreign country,” she said.

The Senate and the House have been probing Pogos since earlier this year after authorities raided Pogo hubs in Bamban, Tarlac and in Porac, Pampanga, revealing human trafficking, sexual abuses, torture, murder, and even possible money laundering.

The Ceza was dragged into the discussions on Pogos after the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission on June 13 said that some gaming hubs are operating near the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (Edca) sites.

The Edca is an agreement between the Philippines and the United States.

There are currently nine Edca sites, with two located in Cagayan. The Edca site in the Naval Base in Santa Ana, Cagayan, is within the CSEZFP.

READ: PAOCC confirms Pogos operating near Edca sites

Pagcor clarified that there are no Pogos near Edca sites. The younger Enrile also said the military had no concerns placing the base near iGaming operations because the economic zone has been safe.