MANILA, Philippines — Newly appointed Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said he would start the crackdown on Philippine Offshore Gambling Operations (Pogos) hubs in his home province of Cavite as proof of his commitment to the government’s goal of shutting them down by the end of the year.
In an ambush interview on Tuesday, Remulla said that closure operations would begin at a suspected hub in Kawit where Island Cove was previously located.
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“That will be the first one to be closed, and, correction, it’s not ours; it was our property, but it’s not ours today,” Remulla told reporters after a pre-departure ceremony ahead of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s flight to the 44th and 45th Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit and related meetings in Laos.
“That will be the first one [to be] closed just to show a proof of sincerity that I will start with my province,” he said.
Island Cove was a resort property previously owned by the Remulla family and later sold to a Filipino-Chinese businessman, who then converted it into a purported illegal Pogo hub.
Remulla earlier denied allegations that he or his family was involved with the hub.
He even offered a P10 million reward to anyone who would be able to prove his ties with the Pogo entity.
In the interview, Remulla also said he would personally visit and close down Pogo entities in each local government unit in the country to ensure they will not just change their business names and resume their operations.
“I will visit each and every one personally and padlock the premises and make sure that they are closed, each and every one,” he said.
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In his State of the Nation Address last July, Marcos ordered the closure of all Pogos this year.
He also instructed the Department of Labor and Employment to work with economic managers to find alternative jobs for displaced Filipino workers in the meantime.