DILG meets with law enforcers, LGUs in Metro Manila, Luzon on illegal POGOs

Two days ahead of President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.'s third State of the Nation Address (SONA), the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) on Saturday convened law enforcement agencies and local government units in Metro Manila and parts of Luzon regarding the drive to eradicate illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO).

According to a Super Radyo dzBB report by Luisito Santos, DILG Secretary Benhur Abalos presided over the meeting in Camp Crame on Saturday afternoon with LGU representatives from Metro Manila and Southern Tagalog.

In a 24 Oras Weekend report by Mav Gonzales, local government units have conducted inventories on online gaming establishments in their areas to check for possible illegal activities.

The report said there has been an increase in illegal activities just after licenses for some 200 POGO hubs were cancelled.

“’Yan ang naging tinatawag natin scam farm. Bubunga ng mga illegal activities at kumalat… Hindi na natin aantayin na magraid pa o may mangyari pa sa isang lugar. Ating iisa-isahin na ang mga establishment on the ground. Uunahin natin mga suspected [establishments],” said Abalos.

(That is what we call scam farms. Illegal activities will spread… We won’t wait for raids or for something to happen in one area. We will tackle establishments on the ground one by one. We will prioritize the suspected [establishments])

The Philippine National Police has organized a Special Task Force Skimmer to combat illegal POGOs in cooperation with other government agencies, like the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission.

“I want to assure po wala po kaming nagproprotekta. Madami po kami tinanggal [na personnel] sa Philippine National Police, especially po sa Tarlac. Not because they are involved, not because they are a protector, but because our DILG [chief] Atty. Benhur Abalos, ang sabi niya zero tolerance for incompetence. Because hindi niya inaksyunan ang simpleng reklamo at kaya lumalaki… kaya po natin tinatanggal ang mga opisyal natin,” said PNP chief Police General Rommel Marbil.

(I want to assure that none of us are protecting anyone. We removed a lot [of personnel] from the Philippine National Police, especially in Tarlac. Not because they are involved, not because they are a protector, but because our DILG [chief] Atty. Benhur Abalos said zero tolerance for incompetence. Because they couldn’t immediately act on a simple complaint, which caused it to become bigger… that’s why we removed our officials.)

Meanwhile, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation released a list of indicators of illegal POGO hubs. 

• High walls and barbed wire fences
• Heightened security measures
• Numerous CCTV cameras
• Lack of emergency exits
• Densely inhabited floors or buildings
• Food deliveries at the gate
• Groups of foreign nationals
• Continuous entry and exit of heavily tinted vans and cars
• Posters and social media job hirings

The DILG said that LGUs may conduct regular inspections and either suspend or revoke the operating license of online gaming establishments if found to have violated regulations.

The Philippine Economic Zone Authority will be in charge of these duties for establishments located inside economic zones. 

Earlier in the day, Abalos also held a similar meeting in Pampanga with representatives from the Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, and Central Luzon.

National government officials at the Camp Crame meeting included Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Police General Rommel Francisco Marbil, Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) Director Louie Puracan, Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Alejandro Tengco, Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) undersecretary Gilbert Cruz, and representatives from the Department of Justice, and Department of Labor and Employment.

The meeting sought to resolve problems and issues with regard to illegal POGOs, the Super Radyo dzBB report said. Based on an earlier DILG advisory, the event was aimed at interfacing on peace and order and public safety issues on scam farms.

The report added that the DILG was set to discuss the powers of LGUs and law enforcement units to inspect, suspend and revoke permits of establishments suspected of illegal POGO operations.

In June, PAGCOR reported the number of POGO licensees has dropped from 298 during the previous administration to only 43, citing the Marcos administration's efforts to weed out illegal operators.

Over the past months, law enforcers have sought to intensify their crackdown on criminal syndicates behind illegal online gambling operators amid POGO raids in Bamban, Tarlac and Porac, Pampanga.

Heading into his SONA on July 22, Marcos has yet to issue a decision regarding a possible ban on all POGOs.

Finance Secretary Ralph Recto has already recommended in writing to the President the halt of operations of POGOs, given the recent issues surrounding the industry.

National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Secretary Arsenio Balisacan has also expressed support for the ban on POGOs despite a potential revenue loss amounting to P20 billion. — Sherylin Untalan and Jiselle Anne Casucian/VDV/VBL, GMA Integrated News