Former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo lamented the unsavory image the controversy over illegal Philippine Online Gaming Operator (POGO) hubs has brought on Pampanga.

“For instance, when people hear about barangay Senora in Porac, Pampanga, they quickly associate it with illegal POGOs,” Arroyo said.

The Pampanga representative said the association is unfair because Pampanga should be recognized instead as a source of food, particularly grains, for Metro Manila and other parts of Luzon.

“Whoever is at fault must be held accountable,” she said.

An official of the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) has recommended the conversion of illegal online POGO structures to civilian offices to remove the stigma on the Pampanga communities.

PAOCC Undersecretary Gilbert Cruz said the seized and forfeited buildings could also be used by government agencies after the filing of civil cases.

“Those facilities that we closed, let’s say in Bamban, were functional and beautiful,” Cruz said, referring to the raided POGO hub in Bamban, Tarlac.

Five POGO hubs, including seized vehicles, are currently under civil and criminal forfeiture proceedings in favor of the government.

“One facility under civil forfeiture in Pasay City is being used by the Department of Social Welfare and Development for rescued victims,” Cruz cited as an example.

Facilities as jails, schools

“Another facility was converted into a jail for those apprehended in POGO operations. The Bureau of Immigration lacks jails so I said let’s improvise with this sixth floor, let’s turn it into a jail. Those arrested were detained there,” Cruz said.

Civil and criminal forfeitures fall under Republic Act 1379 or An Act Declaring Forfeiture in Favor of the State any Property Found to Have Been Unlawfully Acquired.

Cruz said the POGO hub in Porac could even be used as a school.

Some 448 POGO companies were established across the country during the Duterte administration but only 46 renewed their licenses with the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp.

“We are running after the 402 illegal POGOs,” Cruz said.

On the proposed total ban of POGOs in the Philippines, Arroyo said the decision should be left to those in charge of regulating the gaming business.

SoNA on agri

Meanwhile, Arroyo said the upcoming State of the Nation Address of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. should touch on agriculture, particularly the effects of the El Niño weather phenomenon.

The President brought P205.58 million in financial assistance to farmers and fisherfolk affected by El Niño in Pampanga on Friday.

He also provided P105.58 million in financial aid to farmers and fisherfolk in the provinces of Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac and Zambales.

The Office of Speaker Martin Romualdez gave five kilos of rice to all who attended the distribution of financial assistance at the Bren Z. Guiao Convention Center in San Fernando.

Machinery, boats, and other livelihood assistance were given out by the President during the event.