Cabinet members yet to discuss proposed POGO ban — NEDA

The Cabinet members have yet to formally discuss the proposed ban on Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs), National Economics and Development Authority Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said on Tuesday.

Balisacan said this in a Palace briefing after he was asked about the status of discussions regarding the POGO ban in President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s Cabinet meetings.

"None. We haven't really talked about it at the level of the economic managers. I’m not quite aware if there are other meetings," Balisacan said.

"I keep my view that our attention should be…our focus should be in generating high-quality jobs, good jobs and I think that creating gambling jobs is one of what I defined as good jobs (...) because I think that there are a lot of other opportunities for the country, for the economy and for our workers and we can focus on those," Balisacan added.

During the Economic Journalists Association of the Philippines-San Miguel Corp. (EJAP-SMC) Economic Forum on Monday, Finance Secretary Ralph Recto said he is keen on recommending to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. the ban of POGOs in the country due to its illegal activities.

Calls to ban POGOs in the country have also intensified after authorities conducted a series of raids on illegal POGO hubs, uncovering torture, kidnapping victims, and other criminal activities.

Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma, who was also in the press briefing in Malacañang, acknowledged the potential economic impact of banning POGOs in the country.

However, Laguesma assured that the Department of Labor and Employment has a plan in case the government officially bans POGO in the Philippines.

"At DOLE, our concern is always the loss of employment. We have already profiled those who will be affected in case a decision is made to close them," Laguesma said.

"The Department does not abandon those who lose their jobs. We will continue to focus on upskilling the affected workers and retraining them. Another component would be supporting them if they want to start a livelihood project. We are willing to help them," Laguesma added.