Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III urged the government to face the reality and bite the bullet regarding the growing concerns related to Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO).
In an interview with radio station DWIZ on Saturday, Pimentel expressed hope that President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. would address the issue in his upcoming State of the Nation Address (SONA).
“Who knows, maybe he’s dribbling us to announce it at the SONA,” Pimentel said in Filipino. He added that Marcos will gain positive political points if he announces a total ban on POGO.
Pimentel highlighted several critical issues surrounding POGOs: “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.”
Pimentel said allowing POGOs could tarnish the country’s relationship with countries where online gambling is banned such as in China.
The senator also 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 POGO, minus the expenses of the country in law enforcement, abonado pa,” he said.
Pimentel also pointed out the unfulfilled promises related to POGO revenues. “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.
Moreover, the former Senate President raised the violation of the country’s labor laws, citing the large number of foreign workers employed by POGOs.
“Our labor policy is being destroyed,” he lamented.
“There are 125,000 Chinese working here. First of all, it’s against our labor law,” he emphasized. “The general rule is that only Filipinos work here. We allow foreigners to work because their work is specialized, their ability. Now, what is their specialized ability? Only because they know how to speak Chinese?” Pimentel said.
Lastly, Pimentel said allowing POGOs could tarnish the country’s relationship with countries where online gambling is banned such as in China.
