Ban POGOs? Azurin says policy enforcement with operators' compliance is win-win solution

The enforcement of policy and compliance of owners would be the win-win solution on the issues in Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs), Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Police General Rodolfo Azurin Jr. said Tuesday.

“Ang tanong ko: Are we for revenue or are we for peace and security ng present situation natin? (My question is: Are we for revenue or are we for peace and security in our present situation),” he said in an interview on ANC when asked if POGOS should be banned.

“Kapag ito naman po ay nai-enforce naman po natin ang mga policies at mga rules natin at susunod naman ang mga operators na 'to, I think this will be a win-win solution for everyone,” he added.

(If the policies and rules are enforced and operators will follow them, I think this will be a win-win solution for everyone.)

On the part of the PNP, Azurin said authorities should monitor the status of legitimate POGO employees and conduct regular checking of these businesses.

Foreign workers in POGOS should seek clearance from the PNP and the National Bureau of Investigation so authorities will be able to check their background in their origin countries, he added.

Some 23,000 Filipinos would lose their jobs if POGOs are banned from the country, according to the Association of Service Providers and POGOs (ASPAP).

The Philippine government last month announced plans to deport at least 2,000 POGO workers by October, in line with the crackdown on undocumented foreign workers in the country.

Estimates by the Department of Justice indicate that there are some 40,000 POGO workers in the country, despite the termination of the license to operate of 175 POGO firms.

Meanwhile, citing Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian, Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri said Tuesday that the Chinese government has included the Philippines in its blacklist for tourist destinations due to the continuous operations of offshore gaming.

“Ambassador Huang said that the Philippines now is part of a blacklist of tourist sites because they do not know if a tourist will be joining POGO operations and they don't know if their nationals who go to the Philippines will be safe from illegal activities being done by the triad, by the syndicates operating POGOs,” Zubiri said during the Senate ways and means committee hearing on POGOs.

“They may be kidnapped, mistaken for POGO operators. That’s the reason why there’s been a significant drop in Chinese tourists. By the way, they are the largest number of tourists pre-pandemic,” he added.—AOL, GMA News