Gov't should study pros and cons of POGO — DOJ exec

An official from the Department of Justice (DOJ) said on Thursday that the government should look into the advantages and disadvantages of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) hubs.

Vasquez’s remark came as lawmakers were divided over the proposed ban on POGO after Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said that criminal syndicates posing as POGO hubs are a national security concern.

In February, the House Committee on Games and Amusement approved a bill banning POGO because of crimes associated with them. The issue has yet to be discussed in plenary.

Senate President Francis "Chiz" Escudero, Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada and Senator Loren Legarda, meanwhile, expressed support for the possible ban on illegal POGOs.

"This is high time now to check whether or not the advantages outweigh the serious and grave social cost and public safety consequences of the POGO industry," Justice Undersecretary Raul Vasquez said in a statement.

Vasquez said the government should consider the impact of POGO on public safety as well as national security.

A whole-of-government approach is the most effective way of handling the POGO industry, he added.

“Not only the sole concern of the LGU (local government unit), the PSA (Philippine Statistics Authority), or the DOJ or PAGCOR (Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation) itself, everybody is on board currently,” he said.

Meanwhile, Vasquez told foreigners involved in POGO that their stay in the Philippines is a “privilege” and that they are expected to follow the country’s laws. —VBL, GMA Integrated News