Ex-Cabinet official lobbied for illegal POGOs — PAGCOR

A former Cabinet official had lobbied for the granting of licenses to some illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs), the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) said on Saturday.

In a statement, PAGCOR said a "former high ranking government official tried to facilitate the grant of gaming licenses to some of the illegal POGOs that have been recently raided and found engaged in illegal activities."

PAGCOR Chairman and CEO Alejandro Tengco said he would reveal in a proper forum the identity of the former Cabinet member. He added that that he would also unveil the circumstances that led to the proliferation of illegal and criminal offshore gaming operations in the country.

Tengco said authorities investigating the suspicious activities of former POGO licensees must also look into the role of former officials and their conduits in the grant of licenses to POGO applicants with dubious backgrounds.

"As a regulator, it is our mandate to ensure that only those with valid licenses are allowed to operate all forms of gambling and gaming activities, whether these are land-based casinos or online platforms," he said.

"It is in the interest of the government to crack the whip against illegal operators, including the so-called offshore gaming operators or POGOs and their backers, because the criminal activities associated with their illegal operations pose serious threats to our people," he added.

The PAGCOR chief said that the current administration has been doing its part to weed out illegal operators, resulting in the significant decrease in the number of licensees from 298 during the previous administration to only 43 licensees now.

"What we need to question, in the first place, was how those 298 POGO licensees were able to secure their licensees in the past because clearly, during our cleansing process, we found most of them to be ineligible and outright suspicious," Tengco said.

"We are also ready to reveal the roles of other controversial individuals behind these criminal POGO enterprises," he added.

Meanwhile, Senator Risa Hontiveros said that she would call for a hearing soon to allow Tengco to elaborate on his claims.  

“Umaasa ako na si Chair Tengco mismo ang dadating sa susunod na pagdinig at hindi na ang mga kinatawan niya lang,” she said in a statement. 

(I’m expecting Chair Tengco to be present at the next hearing instead of sending his representatives.) 

“Kaya huwag nang pag-ibahin ng PAGCOR ang illegal POGO sa legal POGO. Ang buong industriya ay sanhi ng sangkatutak na krimeng nagpapahamak sa kababaihan, kabataan, at pinakabulnerable sa lipunan,” Hontiveros added. 

(PAGCOR should no longer make a distinction between an illegal POGO and a legal POGO. The whole industry is the root of various crimes that endanger our women, children, and the most vulnerable individuals in society.)

Headed by Hontiveros, the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations, and Gender Equality is currently looking into the Bamban POGO, which was raided in March. 

The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) have recently warned about the likelihood that money coming from the illegal activities of some POGO firms may be used for the 2025 polls.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) said the operations of recently raided POGO hubs in the towns of Bamban, Tarlac and Porac, Pampanga were interconnected.

At the POGO hub in Porac, police and the PAOCC found items used for torture, alleged Chinese military uniforms, and some devices used for cloning SIM cards and for sending out text blasts.

Meanwhile, six Chinese POGO workers from the raided POGO hub in Bamban, Tarlac were found to be fugitives facing charges in their country. The Chinese had warrants of arrest for fraud, operating gambling dens, and other crimes.

The Senate committee on women, children, family relations and gender equality is currently investigating the links of suspended Bamban Mayor Alice Guo to the POGO activities in her town.

Last Thursday, a Chinese national who is allegedly the manager of the Porac POGO hub was arrested during the implementation of a search warrant at a leisure park in the Clark Freeport Zone in Pampanga.

PAOCC Undersecretary Gilbert Cruz recently said around 300 POGOs illegally operate in the country.  — with Vince Angelo Ferreras/VDV/VBL, GMA Integrated News