Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 11) — Senator Sherwin Gatchalian believes President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is “very close” to ordering the closure of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs).
During Tuesday’s Kapihan sa Senado, Gatchalian, chairman of the ways and means committee, said he submitted his “Chairman’s Report” to Malacañang in April, recommending the immediate shutdown of all POGO operations.
He said committee hearings showed that the Philippines does not reap the intended revenues from POGOs, and even if it did, money could not outweigh the social costs of the POGOs’ crime-linked operations.
“I think very close. May public sentiment against POGOs, makikita natin doon sa survey almost as high as 70% ay takot or ayaw sa POGO. With these recent incidents, I’m sure tataas pa iyan,” said Gatchalian.
[Translation: I think it’s very close. There is public sentiment against POGOs, the survey shows that almost 70% are either afraid or do not want POGOs. With these recent incidents, I’m sure that number will still rise.]
To date, Gatchalian’s report has been signed by eight senators — two signatures short of sending it to the Senate plenary. The senator is unfazed by the lack of support, saying the president could stop POGO operations with or without the Senate’s recommendation.
He said when he talked to Marcos in June, the chief executive expressed concern over the crimes linked to POGOs.
“Nagkaroon kami ng interaction at nakikita ko nababahala siya dito sa POGO dahil nga dito sa krimen na lumalabas. Natatandaan ko tinanong niya yung aking opinyon at sabi ko nga economically walang mawawala sa atin,” Gatchalian said.
“Kung sinabi ng Pangulo bukas banned ang POGO kahit walang committee report, banned na ang POGO e,” he added.
[Translation: We met and I could see he was bothered by POGOs because of the crimes coming out. I remember he asked my opinion and I said we would not lose anything economically. If the president says ban POGOs tomorrow, even without a committee report, they would be banned.]
Gatchalian said economic managers also agree on the need to ban POGOs, citing the damage to the country’s reputation. Asked why the Palace has yet to announce a decision, the lawmaker surmised it is still carefully weighing all pros and cons.
Meanwhile, he expressed support for Senator Raffy Tulfo‘s call to investigate a Camp Crame insider’s report that the Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group has been extorting money from the Filipino and foreign workers found in an illegal POGO hub in Las Piñas City.
Gatchalian said it shows that the POGOs, and the criminal syndicates behind them, have corrupted the system.
