OSG: EO enough to kick POGOs out

Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra said yesterday an executive order was sufficient to implement the ban on all Philippine Overseas Gaming Operators (POGOs) in the country.

Guevarra explained that under the law, all gaming operations fell under the jurisdiction of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), which reports directly to the Office of the President. Therefore, an executive order or other administrative issuance would be sufficient to implement the policy, he said.

A comment from the Department of Justice has yet to be received.

The Solicitor General emphasized that a ban is a matter of government policy. “It is the President’s determination of what is good for the country after carefully weighing all competing interests,” he said.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., during his third State of the Nation Address, announced the ban on all POGOs that must leave the country by the end of the year.

The ban followed consecutive raids of illegal POGO hubs, leading to the discovery of equipment used for torture, love scams, and other crimes.

The President’s announcement was lauded by both his political allies and the opposition, who had expressed security concerns and cited rights violations inside the POGO hubs perpetrated mostly by Chinese nationals.

The Bureau of Immigration said foreigners employed by POGOs and internet gambling licensee companies will be given 60 days to leave the country.

Meanwhile, PAGCOR has requested that 12 POGOs be spared from the ban, saying that they were merely customer service agents for gaming companies.

PAGCOR had noted that some 40,000 Filipino employees of POGO firms would be affected by the ban.