CEZA maintains it does not coddle POGO ops

Cagayan Economic Zone Authority administrator and chief executive officer Katrina Ponce Enrile on Friday maintained that CEZA has no POGO operations inside its zone. 

In a brief message to GMA News Online, Enrile guaranteed that CEZA would abide by President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr.'s total ban against POGO operations. 

''We have no POGO operation inside the zone. We do not sanction such activities. We do not coddle any illegal operations that have any semblance of POGO operations inside our zone,'' she said. 

In November of last year, Marcos issued an executive order prohibiting Philippine Offshore Gaming, internet gaming, and other offshore gaming operations in the country.

Executive Order No. 74 states that the ban on POGOs and internet gaming licenses shall encompass illegal offshore gaming operations, license applications, license renewals, and cessation of operations.

The President had allayed concerns about the supposed loopholes in his EO No. 74, noting that POGOs could also not operate in casinos and resorts since it is the nature of the operation that the government is prohibiting.

Last year, Senator Risa Hontiveros said the supposed “gaps” in the EO could be addressed during the interpellation and amendment of the proposed Anti-POGO Act of 2024.

Marcos had banned all POGOs in the country, saying the operations had ventured into illicit activities such as scamming, money laundering, prostitution, human trafficking, kidnapping, torture, and murder.

The Bureau of Immigration has urged more than 11,000 POGO foreign workers who have yet to leave the Philippines to surrender to authorities.—AOL, GMA Integrated News