Bukidnon Representative Jonathan Keith Flores has decided to co-author House Bill 3559, filed by former Congressman and former Senator Ralph Recto, who now serves as Secretary of Finance.
“I have chosen to adopt House Bill 3559 because, among others, it will abolish the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation, transfer its regulatory powers to the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Commission (PAGCOM), and dispose all existing PAGCOR operations and casinos, including all kinds of PAGCOR online gaming,” Flores said.
The legislator explained that when the Committee on Government Reorganization and Committee on Games and Amusement jointly deliberate on it and work on a substitute bill, he “can introduce amendments that will effectively phaseout all Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations (POGOs) that were granted licenses by PAGCOR and dismantle all the illegal POGOs that were never granted licenses and whose previous licenses were not renewed.”
“I will also introduce amendments that will remove online games on mobile phones and cyberspace that have become electronic means of cybercrime, scams, identity theft, and online theft.”
“Through the Committee and the technical working group, I will also introduce amendments that will remove online games on mobile phones and cyberspace that have become electronic means of cybercrime, scams, identity theft, and online theft,” the lawmaker said.
According to him, PAGCOR has dismally and irreparably failed to regulate POGOs and other forms of online gaming.
“We would not have the ongoing POGO crisis if PAGCOR did its job. PAGCOR’s failure is a major cause of the POGO crisis. The decisive solution is to abolish PAGCOR and transfer its regulatory powers to a new Philippine Amusement and Gaming Commission, which is what HB 3559 seeks to accomplish,” Flores emphasized.
