Senators expect President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to make his stance known on their push for a total ban on Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) in the Philippines.

Lawmakers said the third State of the Nation Address (SoNA) on Monday, 22 July, would be an opportune time for Marcos to call on POGOs to ship out on account of the criminal activities associated with them.

Senator Risa Hontiveros expressed the hope the President would consider the recommendation of Finance Secretary Ralph Recto to ban POGOs from the country despite possible revenue losses.

Recto’s anti-POGO stance has drawn support from National Economic and Development Authority chief Arsenio Balisacan.

“In the President’s SoNA, we hope he would mention the immediate banning of POGOs in the Philippines,” Hontiveros told reporters in a media conference on Monday.

Asked if banning POGOs will have repercussions on the economy, Hontiveros said the administration could focus on generating quality jobs for Filipinos.

Hontiveros said her panel, which leads the Senate’s inquiry on illegal POGO operations in the country, will include in its recommendations the social cost of totally banning POGOs.

Former presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo had chided Hontiveros for supposedly trying to link former President Rodrigo Duterte to POGOs, saying Duterte had always been the “nemesis” of grafters in government.

‘Dribbling us’

Earlier, Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III also expressed hope that President Marcos would discuss and present the government’s solutions to the POGO issue in his third SoNA.

“Who knows, maybe he’s dribbling us to announce it at the SoNA,” Pimentel said in Filipino, adding that Marcos would earn political points should he announce a total ban on POGOs.

Pimentel lamented the concerning issues of allowing POGO operations in the country.

“It is not good neighborly behavior. It destroys our labor policy, promotes a gambling culture, damages foreign relations, and contributes to the rise in criminality,” he said.

He urged the government “to face the reality and bite the bullet” of increasing concerns and the alarming proliferation of POGOs involved in illegal activities in the country.

Pimentel questioned the economic benefits of POGOs, suggesting that the costs associated with law enforcement “outweigh the revenue generated.”

“If we look at the income of the country from POGOs, minus the expenses for law enforcement, abonado pa (we’re short),” he pointed out.

“The 30 to 40-billion cash inflow that was promised, it never happened. The figure that was collected never reached that. So what should we do? Face the reality, bite the bullet, say goodbye to an undesirable business,” he asserted.

Pimentel likewise raised the POGOs’ violation of the country’s labor laws. He cited the large number of foreign workers employed in the gaming industry, saying, “Our labor policy is being destroyed.”

“There are 125,000 Chinese working here. First of all, it’s against our labor laws,” he said.

Ordinances

Meanwhile, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, who has been calling for a total ban on POGOs, commended the Bulacan provincial government for enacting an ordinance prohibiting POGOs in its jurisdiction.

Gatchalian said local government units “should emulate the decisive action taken by the Bulacan provincial government and several other city governments outlawing POGOs in their communities.”

“Given the various criminal activities associated with POGO operations, our communities stand a better chance of achieving inclusive economic growth without POGOs,” he added.

According to Gatchalian, the local governments of Pasig and Valenzuela also passed ordinances banning POGOs in their respective localities.

“A complete ban on POGOs is an inevitable step we have to take given the various social ills the industry is causing,” Gatchalian said.

Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero, Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada, and Senator Loren Legarda had made separate statements on banning illegal POGOs in the country.

“All illegal POGOs should be closed whether they are close to our military bases or not and their perpetrators must be arrested,” Escudero said.

Legarda pressed for the deportation of mainland Chinese who are illegally working in the POGOs, especially those involved in criminal activities.