Cabinet yet to discuss POGO ban, says Balisacan

The Marcos Cabinet has yet to discuss calls to ban illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) in the country, according to National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) Secretary Arsenio Balisacan on Tuesday. 

At a Palace press conference, Balisacan was asked if members of the Cabinet have tackled the calls to ban POGO operations. He maintained his position regarding POGOs, and that the government should focus on providing high quality jobs for the public.

''Wala, we haven't really talked about it at the level of economic managers, I'm not aware if there are other meetings but I keep my view that our attention, our focus should be generating high quality jobs,'' Balisacan said. 

''I think that there are a lot of opportunities for the country, for the economy, for our workers, we can focus on those,'' he added. 

In September 2023, Balisacan said he would recommend to President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. the banning of POGOs in the country, noting that legitimate investments are encouraged instead of POGOs. 

On Monday, Finance Secretary Ralph Recto said he is keen on recommending to the President to halt the operations of POGOs, given the recent issues surrounding the industry.

Recto said he is not against POGOs per se, however, it is the illegal activities being conducted by several POGO companies such as those in Bamban, Tarlac and in Porac, Pampanga that influenced him in his decision.

The Philippine government has been investigating the illegal POGO hubs in the country.

Authorities have launched a series of raids against POGO hubs, leading to the rescue of torture and kidnap victims and the discovery of equipment for alleged criminal activities. 

Marcos has been silent on the issue despite recent developments and issues hounding the industry. 

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

This came after Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said that criminal syndicates posing as POGO hubs could be considered as a national security concern and that "we should stop these syndicated criminal activities operating our of our base."

Senate Deputy Minority Leader Risa Hontiveros had called on the Executive Department and the Senate leadership to act quickly on the recommendation to ban POGOs, noting that crimes related to the industry have been going on for years already.—AOL, GMA Integrated News